​7 Reasons To Surround Yourself With Trees

In our most recent article, we detailed the ways in which you can prepare your trees so that they come back even stronger from their dormant time in winter. And it got us thinking about just how much we love trees and how much we hope that people will be as good to them as possible. We want people to purchase good sharp saws that will give a clean cut, and to help a tree repair itself by treating that cut with tree wound dressing.

Why are trees so important? And why are they such a big part of our lives? Here are seven great reasons to take care of trees and surround yourself with them.

You Can’t Buy A Full Grown Tree

Now there’s no doubt that you can buy a tree. Head to any nursery and you’ll be able to pick out a tree; hopefully they’re only selling stuff that will survive in your particular region of the country!

Some trees are pretty fast growers, like poplars and cottonwood. But just because they’re fast growers doesn’t meant that they’re going to give you shade anytime soon. Even the fastest-growing trees will take years to give you the wonders that are mentioned in this blog. So do yourself a favor: the moment you buy a new house, plant a tree or two or three.

The late Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Computers, expressed a very true sentiment regarding trees: “The most amazing thing about trees is it doesn't actually matter how rich you are. You can never buy a really old, beautiful tree.” Sure, you can purchase the land, but the land itself might not be where you want it! Moving trees is incredibly difficult, and larger trees can be impossible to move without killing them. When building the new Apple headquarters, Jobs met with a master arborist to secure 9,000 trees for the new campus. While he left a legacy of company worth nearly a trillion dollars, he was incredibly concerned about leaving trees for his employees that would keep growing long after his death.

All this to say, when you have a really old, really beautiful tree in your yard, you don’t want to lose it. It’s one of the few things in life that’s truly irreplaceable.

They Improve the Local Air

When you see a tree grow over the years, the first impulse is to think that the tree is made up of what it takes from the ground. And while it’s true that about half the tree is make up of vitamins, minerals, and the water that it gets from the ground, the other 50-percent of a tree is made up of the carbon it grabs out of the air. A growing tree takes this carbon and creates itself, reducing the amount of carbon that leads to global warming.

But (and this is the really good part), those trees in your neighborhood aren’t just helping the planet as a whole; they’re also improving your local air quality! So every time you save a tree by pruning it instead of taking it down, you’re helping make the air that you family breaths even cleaner. Plus, if you have a tree in your backyard, it can draw you outside to enjoy the shade; this will get you out of the polluted indoor air. And speaking of shade...

They Provide Shade

Here’s something we don’t have to tell you...the sun is hot! And while it can feel good in the middle of winter, when it’s warm outside most of us would rather not be in direct sunlight. Sure, the humidity can still make you feel warm (we should know, being in Florida), but it’s nothing like being in the direct sunlight on a warm day.

Nothing quite beats sitting under a tree when the sun is bright and the humidity is low. Of course, trees also provide shade for homes, doghouses, and outbuildings, preventing them from getting too hot. Don’t worry, trees don’t mind...they’re too busy taking that light and turning it into energy! It’s a win-win!

It Gets You Back To Nature

No matter your thoughts on the origins of man, you can’t deny that we’re further away from nature than we used to be. People have lived among trees for many thousands of years, and it’s only recently that the “concrete jungle” has come into being and taken trees from some people’s natural surroundings.

Humans are naturally drawn to trees, which is why nearly every residential home has some. We love the feeling of nature that trees bring us, and also the other parts of nature that they attract, namely birds and squirrels.

The Natural Beauty

Nearly everyone can admire the beauty of your average tree. Nothing quite beats the look of a tree, especially if you’ve seen it grow from a sapling. Green leaves coming out in the spring, a full tree blowing in a summer breeze, the amazing colors of some trees as they lose their leaves in the fall; all of these draw us to the tree as the seasons change. Even the stark, bare branches can entice a photographer on a moonlit night. Why not plant a tree and surround yourself with natural beauty?

You’ll Get Exercise

Most people don’t think of trees providing them with exercise, and these are usually the people with mulching mowers! The fact is, trees can provide you with tons of exercise in the fall when the leaves start dropping. All you have to do is get out there and rake them, which burns about 250 calories an hour. Not bad for something that has to be done anyway. And the more years you have the tree, the more leaves it will drop. That means you’ll get more exercise as you age, which is perfect!

Look at that, trees can help prevent skin cancer by providing shade, and they can reduce heart disease by getting you exercise. They’re even good for your lungs! If only they could sustain your body in some way. Oh wait, they do, because...

They Can Provide Fruit

Most fruit comes from trees, and all you have to do is plant a region-specific fruit tree and you’ll end up having fruit in as little as a year. (For some fruits you’ll want to plant two for cross pollination.) It’s not only fun to see the tree grow over the years, but you’ll also be getting fruit from it, which is an amazing snack.

Well there you go, seven great reasons to surround yourself with trees. And after you do, be sure to take care of them with the best tools from Frostproof!