Planting a Legacy: Four Reasons to Plant a Tree

Did you plant all of the trees in your yard? If you didn’t, who did? Trees can last anywhere from forty to over-four-thousand years and usually are never enjoyed in maturity by those who planted them as saplings. Nearly every other outdoor plant and landscape will come and go, but trees stick around for generations! They definitely shouldn’t be overlooked as an asset to your yard and they’ll benefit you, your family, and future home owners for years to come.

Fall is one of the best time to plant trees, so in preparation we’ve rounded up a few of our favorite reasons we always add trees to our landscape!

4 Reasons to Plant a Tree

Trees keep your house cooler in the summer.

Trees sequester carbon and release oxygen, and in that process water evaporates into the air, cooling it down. Just three trees planted strategically around your house could decrease energy use by 30% (U.S. Forest Service Center for Urban Forest Research). You can intentionally plant trees in the parts of your yard that get the most sun or over your driveway to reduce the amount of local heat near your house.

Trees fight global warming.

The most effective way to fight global warming is to plant a tree. As mentioned previously, trees can reduce the amount of energy we use to run our home, but even more importantly they absorb the carbon dioxide in the air and offset greenhouse gas emissions. Tree leaves absorb pollutants in the air, and forests naturally filter water. In cities, planting trees can significantly decrease the possibility of urban heat island effect, where the temperature of a city is higher than the areas around it due to human activity.

As you can see, trees play an important role in preserving a healthy environment for future generations. If you’d like more information on how trees fight climate change, check out this amazing resource from the Arbor Day Foundation! https://www.arborday.org/trees/climatechange/)

Replanting trees is also increasingly important in recent years due to the detrimental impact of the Emerald Ash Borer as well as tornadoes and floods in Missouri. If you’re looking to replant to restore your yard to its former state of glory, we have an amazing selection to choose from.

Trees provide food for squirrels, birds, and people too!

Trees are a part of a healthy habitat and food supply for animals, and you could even plant trees that will provide a harvest for yourself! Fruit trees can easily grow in a suburban or even urban setting, giving you truly local produce.

Trees are an important part of our daily lives.

Everyone knows trees provide habitats for animals, but what about their impact on our lifestyle? With so many varieties to choose from, trees make our yards beautiful and an enjoyable, restful place to be. They provide areas for that rope swing or bird feeder that we watch every morning, and some surprise us with beautiful, fragrant blooms. Trees will be around longer than most people will live in their homes, providing shade for outdoor activity for years to come.

One of our employees, Tom, planted tulip poplars at his son’s elementary school over ten years ago, and every time he passes the school he remembers that stage of his family and that he got to be a part of beautifying the school’s landscape. Trees are surely markers of memories. When you plant a tree, you are planting a legacy.

If you’re looking for a tree to add to your yard this fall, a couple of our favorites are tulip poplars and maples. Both are large trees that will provide shade and beautiful fall color for your landscape!

If you have questions about the best way to incorporate trees into your planting, stop by and we would love to help. (Click here for our hours and location!)