A Homeowner’s Guide To Trees & Shrubs
Why plant trees? Well, first off, trees produce oxygen. What else do you need to know? You’ve got lungs, right? According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1 acre of trees produces 4 tons of oxygen annually. That’s enough oxygen to sustain 18 people for one full year. Trees also act as carbon sinks by absorbing or sequestering carbon dioxide from the air, and leafy tree canopies intercept fine-particulate pollution and absorb pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, ammonia, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide.
These are reasons that trees are good for the planet, but there are more self-interested reasons to plant them as well: They can save you money. Strategically planted trees can block out the sun’s heat and keep your home cooler. “Planting trees on the west and east sides of your house can reduce air-conditioning costs by as much as 20%,” explains Lorna Vogt, manager of One Million Trees for One Million People, a Salt Lake County, Utah, agency that’s attempting to plant 1 million trees in 10 years.
