How Planting Trees Helps the Environment

18 October 2021

Don’t underestimate the power of a tree. It’s not just a wrinkly trunk of brown that stands in parks or forests without serving any function to Mother Nature. It just doesn’t fill parks or streets for green aesthetics. Trees are far more important than beauty and what our naked eye can see. In fact, if all trees cease to exist, human civilization might not even survive. 

A tree is superior and cutting them can cost us lives and a more polluted planet. Here are the top benefits on why planting a tree is important and could be key to helping curb the deadly effects of climate change. 

one tree produces enough oxygen for four people

1. Planting trees gives us a fighting chance to reduce climate change. Trees absorb C02, remove it from the air, store it and release oxygen. To give a figure on how important it is, one tree produces enough oxygen for four people. 

2. Planting trees make the air cleaner. Trees not only absorb CO2, but they also absorb pollutants including nitrogen oxide, ozone, ammonia, and sulfur dioxide. They also absorb odors which makes going to the woods or by the seaside, refreshing and purifying. When an acre of trees becomes mature, they can provide a yearlong worth of oxygen to 18 people. 

3. Planting trees helps cool down the environment. One drastic effect of climate change is global warming. Earth has never been this warm before, and it’s both shocking and alarming. When trees are not abundant in an area, the average temperature declines. This is especially true for urbanized areas that have replaced trees with buildings. But when you add more trees, cities are cooled down up to 10F because it provides shade and releases water. 

Green roofs are now being installed that helps incorporate vegetation

4. Planting trees will reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and businesses. It can serve as a natural air conditioner. Green roofs are now being installed that helps incorporate vegetation of one’s home that saves up money for the community while saving on electricity bills. 

5. Planting trees helps save water. They provide shade which means that water will evaporate at a slow pace. Trees release about 200 to 450 gallons of water per day and just need 15 water gallons a week for them to survive and continue growing. 

6. Planting trees will provide humans with more renewable energy sources. Unlike fossil fuels, trees are renewable and can be harvested and treated sustainably without damaging the environment. According to environmentalists, trees have the potential to become an eco-friendly fuel with just smart forest management.

Planting trees will also ensure cleaner water

7. Planting trees will also ensure cleaner water, water streams, and bodies of water. Because trees are in every nook and area of cities and towns, when rainfall floods a community, trees can prevent stormwater (consisting of phosphorus and nitrogen pollutants) from going to and polluting our oceans. 

8. Planting trees means more shelters for wildlife. Trees serve as a source of food and habitat for Earth’s biodiversity. Many species are nourished by trees. For example, just one apple tree can provide 20 fruit bushel yields that are enough for a year of feeding birds, insects, and other wildlife creatures. Oak and sycamore trees are the most common habitats for squirrels, bees, and birds. 

9. Planting trees helps control erosion. When rainfall is strong, it penetrates through the ground and has the potential to damage bare soil. When there’s no rainfall, winds become the culprit in damaging the dried soil. But when trees abound the area, it would break the rain droplets even before it reaches the ground. This weakens the impact of the rain when it hits the ground. The roots of the trees, when the land is dried, help hold the soil together and are stronger in combating the damaging effects of wind. 

Planting trees makes the soil healthier

10. Planting trees makes the soil healthier. Trees have the power to increase fertility and help soil gain moisture. As mentioned above, it reduces soil erosion. It prevents soil from losing a lot of moisture. When leaves decay and fall onto the soil, it transforms into nutrients that help with growing trees and developing microorganisms. 

One Tree Planted

Flexispot Plants Trees with One Tree Planted

It’s far from perfect but Flexispot is one of the select furniture companies that has vowed to do better for society. The company has stayed true to its core mission of improving the lives of its customers, one project at a time. Flexispot mindfully makes all of its decisions and the impact it would have not only on the lives of its customers but also on the planet. The company is only at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to its green initiative. But a far-fetched goal does not signal STOP for FlexiSpot, rather it just means to keep doing better until a more eco-friendly world is achieved. 

This is why FlexiSpot partnered with the One Tree Planted Project. For every purchase of its sustainable bamboo-made products, the company vows to plant a tree somewhere in the world.

So far, it has planted 500 trees under FlexiSpot’s name. Aside from this, more sustainable materials for the company’s desktops are being sourced including bamboo that grows faster and in greener conditions. The bamboo production and manufacturing of the company provide stable jobs for local residents in marginalized parts of Asia. 

The company has not made an environmental claim but operates on a clear blueprint for the future: donate $10,000 to a nonprofit green organization, plant 1,000 more trees globally with One Tree Planted, and help 400,000 people improve their working conditions. 

FlexiSpot hopes to work together with others for a more sustainable, eco-friendly world. 

Final Thoughts 

Trees are everywhere, and with good reason. Just one tree releases oxygen enough for four people. Because of the planet’s continuous global warming, cutting trees right now should not be anyone’s activity. Instead, we need more trees to be planted on the streets, cities, towns, and other areas. 

Trees are crucial in the fight against climate change because it absorbs CO2 and helps cool down areas. Instead of building new infrastructure, what governments and businesses must do is to unite and plant more trees. 

Companies like FlexiSpot have vowed to do better by helping plant more trees across the world. Initiatives like this can help Earth fight climate change and hopefully escape from the drastic effects it will be causing the planet.