Every Tree Matters
Planting one tree may seem but a tiny step on the road to ameliorating local climate change, but The Tree Council says that every tree matters.
National Tree Week 2011 runs from the 26th November - 4th December.
The Tree Council is urging everyone who cares for their environment to take that step and put one tree - or more - in the ground.
Not simply because it is a carbon sequestration and storage tool and a regulator of the urban micro climate that takes up air pollution, nor because it ameliorates adverse effects of weather, reducing wind-speeds on blustery days, giving shade on hot days, cooling the air, reducing heating and air conditioning costs and saving energy, which in turn cuts down air pollution caused by burning fossil fuels - though it is, and does, all of these things.
No, the benefits of a tree extend far beyond.
Every tree has a role in moderating rainstorm impact as part of sustainable drainage systems and storm water management, lessening the likelihood of flash floods. Each one makes a major contribution to the restoration of derelict and degraded land after the ravages of industrial development, waste disposal or other man-made blights, and creates a more pleasant environment in which to live.
The UK's native trees, individually and in woodlands, provide great habitats for wildlife and the sustainable cultivation of trees for renewable low-energy construction materials, charcoal, food, and as an alternative energy source are significant ways in which every tree will matter, more and more, in years to come.
A tree planted close to where you live, work or study is good for you and for the nation's condition; trees have been proven to have positive effects on mental health and as an antidote to stressful lifestyles, even aiding recuperation from illness.
However, to be able to look out on a tree simply lifts my soul and gladdens my heart. That, at bottom, seems to me to be one of the most compelling reasons to argue that everyone should be able to see a tree from their window - and if you can't, then now is the time to set about changing the view.
Every tree matters as much for the beauty, growth and renewal, whether in urban or rural settings, that it demonstrates year on year as for the very practical benefits it brings.
Thousands more trees will be planted across the country as a result of this initiative, helping local groups create neighbourhoods that we can be proud of. Many people have already successfully applied for Big Tree Plant funds to start their own community projects and we hope that events during National Tree Week will help more and more people to appreciate why every tree really does matter.
Pauline Buchanan-Black, Director-General of the Tree Council
National Tree Week also sees the first anniversary of the launch of The Big Tree Plant, the partnership between civil society and Government in England to encourage the planting of trees by communities.
www.treecouncil.org.uk