The houses in the Huffman Historic District are beautifully aged and venerable. “Of course!” you say, “It’s historic!”. But, I’m not sure we ever think about how much the trees of our Streets and Avenues add to the very venerable-ness of our homes. I would venture to say that many of the monstrous trees overseeing many of our dwellings either witnessed the home’s construction or was planted at the same time and watched various owners come and go.
Not only do trees add an irreplaceable and unique decoration to our homes, they have a myriad of other benefits. Did you know:
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It is estimated that the net cooling effect of a young, healthy tree is equivalent to ten room-size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day (U.S. Department of Agriculture). How much more do our 75-100 year old trees cool?
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Trees add incredible value to any home: A mature tree can often have an appraised value of between $1,000 and $10,000.
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They are green (no pun intended!): “One acre of forest absorbs six tons of carbon dioxide and puts out four tons of oxygen. This is enough to meet the annual needs of 18 people.
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They reduce stress: In laboratory research, visual exposure to settings with trees has produced significant recovery from stress within five minutes, as indicated by changes in blood pressure and muscle tension.”
So next time you take a stroll down Linden or Huffman or Ringgold or Fourth take a look at the trees and wonder what was going on when they were young. Notice how it adds to the beauty of whatever home it is near. Make sure to also care for the ones you have in your own yards and be quick to plant new ones (just plan wisely for any power lines!).
I can’t wait for the leaves to start turning colors; it is the time when trees finally get the attention due them. Fall is like a month-long fashion where all the trees put on their best colors and say, “Look at me!”
And if you ever need a good arborist, I know a guy!
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2 Responses to “Money really DOES grow on trees!”
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September 19th, 2009 at 9:05 PM
I love looking up through our skylights into the old trees. I like to think that the original inhabitants of our house nursed them to a healthy state so that they could eventually grow up and over our house to protect it. It’s a nice exchange of responsibility between overlapping lifespans.
September 20th, 2009 at 4:46 PM
Not only do I love the giant, shady trees in our backyard, but I like the smaller flowering trees that you can buy from the city at a reduced price to plant in the lawn between the sidewalk and the street. The streetscape is gorgeous in the spring when they’re all blooming.