Trees have benefits beyond the aesthetic

If you're like me, late spring and early summer is a favorite time of the year. It's a treat to get outdoors, and I'm of the opinion that you don't need to travel beyond city limits for the delightful opportunity to do so. For me, nearby neighborhoods are where I make my rounds, passing through those I both know and don't know, all part of the fun of getting some fresh air and taking some time to observe.

Of all the streets I've walked, I find that those I come back to are always abundant in trees. Personally, I am captivated by trees not only because of their graceful, larger-than-life existence but also because of their influence on a landscape, whether soil, water, wildlife, or microclimate.

Outside of my own bias, though, plenty of research and studies suggests that we lean toward well-vegetated urban spaces for recreation and overall prefer to live in areas resembling or incorporating our natural surroundings. For our neck of the woods and much of the country, that means trees and urban forests.

So, we can maybe scratch the obvious for our preference: aesthetics and shade. Trees along a street or in our yards really add a unique visual element with contrast, texture, shape, and color. Easily observed too is the shade provided by a well-established canopy thwarting the harsh sun and blocking the intense light. However, I might argue there's a whole host of secondary benefits that are less readily acknowledged but still amply appreciated.

I think first of the benefit of noise filtering. For me, there is no bigger disruption than road noise: the abrupt harshness of traffic, passing cars, broken exhausts, sporadic stints of blaring music and simply racket. I'm not a fan, and often it's dramatic how removed I feel from it when I make my way into one of these sheltered corridors. Moreover, that filtering effect has the accompanying benefit of highlighting "good" noise: the songs and chirps of birds, the rustle of leaves, or simply the sound of silence. It's relieving just thinking about.

Speaking of birds, another great benefit beyond their chirps is their voracious appetite for insects. Some may eat several hundred to upwards of a thousand insects a day.Trees also provide habitat for other insect eaters such as bats, while also expanding the general bounds of the local ecosystem. More trees mean more places to perch, live or watch from, which can mean less buzzing and fewer bites while outdoors.

The list can go on. We could dive into the benefit for pollinators and the better flowers throughout the year as a result, or the capture and treatment of stormwater, better air quality, greener lawns, and so on.

Instead, I suggest that you take a moment outside and just go for a walk. Along the way, see what the trees provide you, and the bigger impact that might have on your community.

Chris Gass is a Minnesota GreenCorps member serving at the Carlton Soil and Water Conservation District and focusing on stormwater and urban forestry. Reach him at 218-384-3891, ext. 5. Information on the SWCD can be found on Facebook and at carltonswcd.org.