The Purpose of Trees In Your Yard

The purpose of planting trees in your yard can be practical, aesthetic or play a role in warm family memories.

Practical Trees

Deciduous trees can assist in lowering both your heating and air conditioning bills. They provide shade during the summer, and after they have shed their leaves in the winter, allow sunlight to shine through during those cold days. Consider planting them on the south, west and east perimeters of your property.

Planting evergreens on the north and west sides will offer windbreaks, thus reducing your heating costs as well.

If you are adverse to fences, consider planting trees to define property lines.

A mature tree in your front yard can increase the value of your property as much as 10%, and increase the selling price of your home by 1%.

Planting trees in your yard also serves a global purpose, in that it will alleviate the “greenhouse effect,” approximately half of which is caused by CO2. Trees absorb CO2, and emit oxygen back into the atmosphere. After ten years of growth, a tree will absorb 48 pounds of CO2, releasing enough oxygen back into the atmosphere to support two people.

In one growing season, a single sugar maple along a roadway removes 60mg of cadmium, 140mg of chromium, 820mg of nickel and 5,200mg of lead from the environment.

Here’s a nifty tool to determine the economic and ecological benefits of your trees:

National Tree Benefit Calculator
https://www.treebenefits.com/calculator/index.cfm

Aesthetically Pleasing Trees

Trees not only enhance their surroundings, but can simultaneously play on all of our senses. As seasons change, so will the aesthetic offerings of your trees

Sight:

Colorful blossoms, different shades of leaves and, even different bark colors, trees offer a relaxing sight to passersby, and to you and yours, when looking out your windows.

Hearing:

Planting evergreen trees that grow low to the ground (such as juniper) in your yard is a way to shield or block unwelcome noise.

Conversely, in a quiet neighborhood, listening to the rustle of leaves in a gentle breeze can be very soothing (such as the quaking aspen), and they can attract singing birds and the chattering of squirrels. Hanging bamboo wind chimes from your tree will add a compatible element to your yard.

Taste:

Fruit, nut and olive trees all offer a variety of options for your taste buds. The birds and animals will enjoy them, too.

Touch:

Leaves offer different textures, as to the various types of bark. The oak’s bark, for example, is deeply ridged and the red maple’s bark is smooth.

Smell:

Balsam fir and lilac are two diverse examples of scented trees that will add an enjoyable layer to your yard’s ambiance. If a particular tree scent holds a warm memory for you, planting that tree in your yard can serve a healing purpose for those stressful days life throws at you.

Planting Trees For Family Memories

When a child is born, a tree sapling is often planted to commemorate the birth. Over the years, photographs of the child and the tree as they grow offer sentimental timepieces to be treasured for generations.

As a tree’s girth grows, a swing for children may be hung over its branches or even perhaps a tree house could be built for a special childhood place.

A picnic table placed under a tree could be enjoyed by the entire family for barbecues and special get-togethers.

Your choices of tree planting purposes for your yard are varied, and all beneficial.

The Arbor Day Foundation will ship ten trees to your home, free of charge, with the low membership fee of just $10:
https://www.arborday.org/shopping/memberships/memberships.cfm

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