ASTOUNDING BENEFITS OF TREES

ASTOUNDING BENEFITS OF TREES 

Not only will a canopy of healthy trees mitigate the catastrophic effects of climate change,  but  they will save the government billions of dollars in health care costs AND MUCH MORE… 

Check these fact-

ü the billions of hairs on leave trap dust, dirt and 85% of nasty pollutants 

ü The cost of cardiovascular disease per year in Ontario is over 5.5 billion!! 

ü  In 2004 Ontario spent $ 12 billion on health costs related to respiratory diseases! It has been shown for every additional 343 trees planted asthma rates go down by 25 % in young children.  (Trees Ontario)

ü  many studies have shown if you go for a walk in a park, you can reduce your stress levels and increase your energy level by 60%.

ü a single acre of trees will compensate for approximately 12 000 km of cars use

ü trees will help prevent good soil from being blown away and  turning large tracts of land into deserts

ü the shade of trees keep spawning grounds for fish and other aquatic life cool so the eggs do not dry out  and die from the intense heat of the sun

ü green spaces thriving  with trees and shrubs  will help  keep temperatures down for the benefit of all living creature

ü protect and restore important wetlands and forests to prevent flooding and erosion , mature tree roots of trees planted an hold a staggering  57 000 gallons of water during flash flooding

ü trees and shrubs will reduce the flow of contaminated sediments  going into lakes  and improve water quality

ü In a report by Oakville (the first of its kind in Ontario) called Oakville’s Urban Forest: Our Solution to our Pollution it was pointed out that Oakville’s urban forest provided $ 2.1 million in ecological services annually.

 

 

• Any land owner in Toronto can contact LEAF and arrange for a free consultation on the most appropriate trees for your property. They will even deliver a tree and plant it for you at a discount. Go to www.yourleaf.org.

• Trees Ontario (www.treesontario.ca) and Tree Canada (www.treecanada.ca) both have programs that encourage the planting of trees, as do Park People (www.parkpeople.ca) and the Ontario Urban Forest Council (www.oufc.org).

• The Living City Foundation (formerly the Conservation Foundation associated with the Toronto and Region Conservation, which controls over 50,000 acres in the GTA) also plants and maintains trees on their property (www.thelivingcity.org).

Trees are the cheapest, safest, and most effective tools for mitigating the devastating effects of climate change such as famine producing droughts and deadly floods. A tree over its lifetime will absorb about 1 tonne of carbon.

The health and vitality of Lake Simcoe depend on a canopy of healthy trees growing along the shoreline. The majority of life in Lake Simcoe depend on trees to provide shade for newly laid eggs- too much heat from the sun will destroy the eggs of fish and other aquatic creatures.

The roots of trees hold staggering amounts of water; thereby, helping to prevent flash floods

By planting trees we can help create healthier workers needed for a robust and thriving economy and at the same time vastly reduce our health care cost here in Ontario. The billions of hairs on leaves act like giant brooms sweeping the air clean by trapping, dust, dirt, and 85% of nasty pollutants like sulphur dioxide, sulphates, and nitrogen oxide. In Ontario in 2004, over $ 12 billion was spent on health costs related to respiratory diseases!

 It has been shown for every additional 343 trees planted asthma rates go down by 25 % in young children.  (Trees Ontario)

Smog which can be absorbed by trees has been shown to be a critical risk factor in contributing to diabetes.  In 2012 approximately 1.2 million people have been diagnosed with diabetes in Ontario.  (Trees Ontario)

  Many forms of cancer are associated with pollutants in our environments. Trees help reduce cancers by filtering out carcinogen compounds while replenishing the air with oxygen.   (Trees Ontario)

The more trees we plant and protect, the healthier we will be!