Jeff was recently out on vacation, so I thought I would post about an interesting article I came across last week about some of the lesser-known values trees and forests provide. Hope you enjoy...

-David

Trees in Canada's boreal forest
Credit: Garth Lenz

Trees, trees, and more trees. It's hard to picture yourself embedded within a landscape of trees and not feel content (save, perhaps, an accidental turn down a trail and becoming lost). Whether it's a remote part of the rugged wilderness or a casual stroll through a local park, being around trees simply makes us feel better.

Don't just take my word for it, though. Studies have been conducted on the influences trees (and general greenery) have on us, and have generally found that when we have more trees and plants near us in everyday life, we tend to be better and happier people. One study, conducted in an inner-city housing development, even found that adding more trees and greenery to the area created numerous positive effects, including improved self-discipline, increased optimism, lower crime rates, and even better concentration among children with ADD.

Our collective awareness of the less-than-obvious benefits trees provide, not just for us humans but for our entire environment, grew last week with a great op-ed in the New York Times. The author, Jim Robbins, highlighted some of the lesser-known things trees do that often have far-reaching effects.

For example, a few decades ago a Japanese scientist found that when leaves decompose, they release acids which eventually drain into the ocean. These acids help fertilize plankton, one of the most basic and common sources of food within oceanic food chains. This in turn helps maintain healthier populations of a number of species as those nutrients work their way up the food web. Even some fishermen have caught on and saw fish stocks improve upon replanting efforts near streams and coastlines, according to the piece.

Interesting connection - acids released by decomposing tree leaves trickle down to the ocean and spur plankton populations. These help sustain krill, the main diet of humback whales.
Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

The article continues on with several other fascinating facts about trees, including creating a cooling effect in cities on hot days and the absorption of toxins released through agriculture.

For me personally, I'm content with just liking trees for trees. As a child, I watched my father fight a local timber company and zoning officials to prevent our small rural road from becoming yet another in our area riddled with ugly clearcuts. He ultimately lost, and still to this day (nearly 20 years later) it still looks nothing close to the beautiful stretch of forest it once was.  It wasn't about the greenhouse gasses that were released when the trees were logged, the loss of prime habitat for many of the beautiful creatures we share our woods with, or my newfound inability to go wild mushroom hunting in it (there were thankfully other spots up the road).

It was about the purely aesthetic bliss I felt every time I drove through it. The zen you get when you can't see any lights or people, only the whisk of the wind as it dances its way through the trees accompanied by the occasional sweet song of a songbird. While the noise and people are now long gone, the scarred earth they left behind still pains me every time I drive through there. It was thus a no-brainer to accept my current job with this organization to help educate people about Canada's boreal forest, or "North America's bird nursery" as some of us like to call it.

But not everyone has as easy of a time valuing nature just for nature's sake. And even for many that do, the temptation of economic profit is simply too strong to fight off.

However, the more we learn about trees and how they benefit us all (especially ones that correlate to economic or individual health), the lower the temptation of short-term profit becomes. It may inspire us to cut trees in a more sustainable way. It may get more people interested in tree planting programs or cleaning up parks.

It seems the more we learn about trees, the more integral they become to the health of us as individuals and as a society.