What Trees have to do with the Environment.
Perhaps no image invokes the Berkshire Taconic Landscape more .
strongly than the brilliant colors that splash across our majestic hills .
and valleys each fall. Those streaks of color appear because we have.
so many trees. In fact, in virtually every setting, from the swamps .
along the oxbows of the Housatonic River to the summits of the .
Taconic mountains, the dominant vegetation of our landscape is trees. .
But why are trees here? Why did trees grow in New England and New .
York, while grasses coat Oklahoma, shrubs cover the tundra, and cacti .
dot the desert? .
• Trees turn carbon dioxide into oxygen that helps us breathe and reduces air pollution. .
• Trees also filter lots of other chemicals from our air and purify it making the air healthier for us to breathe. .
• They also provide shelter from the sun, block wind and noise, provide a habitat for wildlife, smell good, create beauty and prevent erosion. .
• They also clean the air by stopping a lot of flying dust particles etc from flying. .
Trees help supply oxygen and refresh the air we breathe by utilizing .
carbon dioxide produced when we exhale and burn fossil fuels. Trees .
also reduce noise pollution, act as wind buffers and absorb dust and .
other air pollutants. Trees are the essential link in the food chain of life; .
they capture sunlight and convert it into energy.
While it is impossible to put a price tag on their natural gifts, we know .
that trees have a measurable effect on the monetary value of a .
landscape. In fact, a recent study has shown that up to 20% of a .
property value lies within its landscape. Clearly, trees are an important .
asset, and as with any asset, it is advantageous to ensure that it .
continues to appreciate.
Since the beginning, trees have furnished us with food and many .
cultural necessities such as shelter, medicine, clothing, tools, heat in.
the winter and cool shade in the summer.