Trees. They surround us every single day. Humans have grown accustomed to them to the point where we almost take them for granted. In this article, we’ll reflect on the benefits of trees, what they mean to us and the earth, and perhaps even inspire you to plant one.
But wait, why is a VPN provider writing about trees?
Fair question. If you haven’t noticed yet, we call ourselves ForestVPN. We do so for a reason: we are a company that cares about the environment and tries to raise awareness. One of our key differences is that we help each user in generating less CO2, resulting in a lower contribution to global warming. How? Thanks to our battery-saving technology, which allows our VPN to use 6.5 times less battery than well-known competitors.
Enough about us; let’s get into why trees are so important.
Trees provide homes for wildlife
Humans love placing themselves at the centre of the universe, thinking about ways everything can benefit them. We tend to forget, though, that we are not the only ones here. Trees and forests are homes to billions of animals all over the planet. Think about it – a square kilometre of forest may be home to more than 1,000 species. Even in the city, trees are a vital element for many species. Trees have an average lifespan of 50 to 80 years, so each new tree you plant will provide a home for a variety of creatures for many decades.
Trees help us with our mental health
Of course, trees benefit us as well. Besides giving cute animals a home, trees help us in ways we may not even notice. Trees have been scientifically proven to benefit people’s mental health. Even just a stroll through the city park with trees surrounding you can help your anxiety and depression. Hugging a tree has also been proven to raise oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin levels, which promotes a calmer, happier mood. By the way, just being near trees is not the only way they affect our mood. Gardening and tree planting have the same therapeutic benefits.
Trees absorb greenhouse gases
Just like sponges, trees absorb carbon dioxide and store it in their wood. What does that change? Well, greenhouse gases lead to global warming. Without trees, we would already be on a frying pan: the planet would simply heat up and dry out, killing all life as we know it. Big shoutout to trees for letting us live!
We do have some good news about greenhouse gases. There has been a rise in the amount of conversations about planting projects. Cities and regions can now calculate how many trees must be planted to offset their carbon footprint. Many cities have already begun such planting projects, so check to see if yours has one – you might be able to make a difference. This approach provides a low-cost, straightforward, and widely available way to address a major global issue.
Trees filter everything
Every kid knows that we cannot survive without air and water. Both of these things are filtered by trees. Trees filter our air from harmful, pollutant gases, purifying the air and providing us with oxygen. In terms of water, these plants have a unique system that allows them to filter water from harmful substances, just as they do with air. And they do it all for free!
Trees make the Earth cooler, literally
Trees are the most effective natural air conditioners. One of the most obvious reasons is that they provide shade. The second reason is that trees have a magical ability known as transpiration cooling. Essentially, as trees release water into the atmosphere, evaporation cools the air surrounding them. Have you ever noticed that a summer heat wave feels much worse in a city where there are fewer trees than it does in a forest? Now you understand why.
Trees do it all
The value of trees cannot be exaggerated. We can’t live without them! Aside from the benefits mentioned above, trees provide us with numerous other benefits that we don’t even think of. They help to protect people from ultraviolet rays, improve soil fertility, block sound, and so on. Given that our quality of life depends on them, it’s mind-blowing that humanity cuts down such precious elements of the ecosystem.
In this day and age, it is very easy to forget about the benefits of trees — such simple, fundamental things. We hope this article served as a gentle reminder. Who knows, it might have even inspired you to plant some trees.