Communal Benefits
    Even though trees may be private property, their size often makes them
    part of the community as well. Because trees occupy considerable space,
    planning is required if both you and your neighbors are to benefit. With
    proper selection and maintenance, trees can enhance and function on one
    property without infringing on the rights and privileges of neighbors.
    City trees often serve several architectural and engineering functions.
    They provide privacy, emphasize views, or screen out objectionable views.
    They reduce glare and reflection. They direct pedestrian traffic. They
    provide background to and soften, complement, or enhance architecture.

    Environmental Benefits
    Trees alter the environment in which we live by moderating climate,
    improving air quality, conserving water, and harboring wildlife. Climate
    control is obtained by moderating the effects of sun, wind, and rain.
    Radiant energy from the sun is absorbed or deflected by leaves on
    deciduous trees in the summer and is only filtered by branches of
    deciduous trees in winter. We are cooler when we stand in the shade of
    trees and are not exposed to direct sunlight. In winter, we value the sun’s
    radiant energy. Therefore, we should plant only small or deciduous trees
    on the south side of homes.
    Wind speed and direction can be affected by trees. The more compact the
    foliage on the tree or group of trees, the greater the influence of the
    windbreak. The downward fall of rain, sleet, and hail is initially absorbed or
    deflected by trees, which provides some protection for people, pets, and
    buildings. Trees intercept water, store some of it, and reduce storm runoff
    and the possibility of flooding.
    Dew and frost are less common under trees because less radiant energy
    is released from the soil in those areas at night.
    Temperature in the vicinity of trees is cooler than that away from trees.
    The larger the tree, the greater the cooling. By using trees in the cities,
    we are able to moderate the heat-island effect caused by pavement and
    buildings in commercial areas.
    Air quality can be improved through the use of trees, shrubs, and turf.
    Leaves filter the air we breathe by removing dust and other particulates.
    Rain then washes the pollutants to the ground. Leaves absorb carbon
    dioxide from the air to form carbohydrates that are used in the plant’s
    structure and function. In this process, leaves also absorb other air
    pollutants - such as ozone, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide - and
    give off oxygen.
    By planting trees and shrubs, we return to a more natural, less artificial
    environment. Birds and other wildlife are attracted to the area. The natural
    cycles of plant growth, reproduction, and decomposition are again present,
    both above and below ground. Natural harmony is restored to the urban
    environment.

    Economic Benefits
    Individual trees and shrubs have value, but the variability of species, size,
    condition, and function makes determining their economic value difficult.
    The economic benefits of trees can be both direct and indirect.
    Direct economic benefits are usually associated with energy costs. Air-
    conditioning costs are lower in a tree-shaded home. Heating costs are
    reduced when a home has a windbreak. Trees increase in value from the
    time they are planted until they mature. Trees are a wise investment of
    funds because landscaped homes are more valuable than nonlandscaped
    homes. The savings in energy costs and the increase in property value
    directly benefit each home owner.
    The indirect economic benefits of trees are even greater. These benefits
    are available to the community or region. Lowered electricity bills are paid
    by customers when power companies are able to use less water in their
    cooling towers, build fewer new facilities to meet peak demands, use
    reduced amounts of fossil fuel in their furnaces, and use fewer measures
    to control air pollution. Communities also can save money if fewer facilities
    must be built to control storm water in the region. To the individual, these
    savings are small, but to the community, reductions in these expenses are
    often in the thousands of dollars.

    Trees Require an Investment
    Trees provide numerous aesthetic and economic benefits but also incur
    some costs. You need to be aware that an investment is required for your
    trees to provide the benefits that you desire. The biggest cost of trees and
    shrubs occurs when they are purchased and planted. Initial care almost
    always includes some watering.
    To function well in the landscape, trees require maintenance.Corrective
    pruning and mulching gives trees a good start. Shade trees, however,
    quickly grow to a size that may require the services of a professional
    arborist. Tree Works has the knowledge and equipment needed to prune,
    spray, fertilize, and otherwise maintain a large tree.