
Plant a tree
Trees help clean the air we breathe, filter the water we drink, and provide habitat to over 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity.
Forests provide jobs to over 1.6 billion people, absorb harmful carbon from the atmosphere, and are key ingredients in 25% of all medicines. Have you ever taken an Aspirin? It comes from the bark of a tree!
Benefits of Planting Trees
Most often we plant trees to provide shade and beautify our landscapes. These are great benefits but trees also provide other less obvious benefits.
Social Benefits
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Trees make life nicer. It has been shown that spending time among trees and green spaces reduces the amount of stress that we carry around with us in our daily lives.
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Hospital patients have been shown to recover from surgery more quickly when their hospital room offered a view of trees.
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Children have been shown to retain more of the information taught in schools if they spend some of their time outdoors in green spaces.
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Trees are often planted as living memorials or reminders of loved ones or to commemorate significant events in our lives.
Communal Benefits
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Even though you may own the trees on your property your neighbors may benefit from them as well.
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Through careful planning trees can be an asset to your entire community.
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Tree lined streets have a traffic calming effect, traffic moves more slowly and safely.
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Trees can be placed to screen unwanted views or noise from busy highways.
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Trees can complement the architecture or design of buildings or entire neighborhoods.
Environmental Benefits
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Trees offer many environmental benefits.
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Trees reduce the urban heat island effect through evaporative cooling and reducing the amount of sunlight that reaches parking lots and buildings. This is especially true in areas with large impervious surfaces, such as parking lots of stores and industrial complexes.
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Trees improve our air quality by filtering harmful dust and pollutants such as ozone, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide from the air we breathe.
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Trees give off oxygen that we need to breathe.
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Trees reduce the amount of storm water runoff, which reduces erosion and pollution in our waterways and may reduce the effects of flooding.
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Many species of wildlife depend on trees for habitat. Trees provide food, protection, and homes for many birds and mammals.
What Is A Native Tree?
A native tree is one that has not been introduced by man and occurs naturally. Native trees are perfect for providing food and shelter for our wildlife, manufacturing oxygen for both animals and humans.
If you wish to plant your own tree, please ensure that it is native Louisiana species:
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Nuttall Oak
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‘Drummond’ Red Maple
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Bald Cypress
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Live Oak
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Dahoon Holly
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Savannah Holly
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Sweet Bay Magnolia
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‘Little Gem’ Magnolia
Why Plant a Live Oak?
Live oak trees are durable, hardy trees that are especially resistant to damage from high winds. This means that a healthy oak will survive most tropical storms and hurricanes, leaving you one less thing to worry about in the event of a big, destructive storm.
Oak trees also naturally add value to the landscape with their large, spreading crown and steady growth rate. Planting an oak on your property provides shade from the intensity of the sun and also adds visual interest to your lawn.
Environmentally, trees are good for the earth and good for your community, as well. Since oaks are long-lived (one oak tree can live for as long as 1,000 years), planting an oak tree is one way that you can invest in the future. By planting an oak, you give a gift to the people who will come after you are gone from the earth.
Live Oak can drink up to 1,000 gallons of water, per day, during heavi rains and storms.