Tree with their multiple benefits including aesthetics, shading and food production are very important contributors to any green living lifestyle. They can be used in multiple ways to improve or even make possible a truly self-sufficient lifestyle for people across the world. I will go over fairly quickly three different things trees do for you that make your life better, easier and more cost effective. Heating and Cooling This reason is both very obvious and a bit of mystery depending on your experience and education. On the face of it obviously you can use wood from trees to heat you home in the winter. This aspect has been known about trees and their wood for thousands of years. But something we are starting to become aware of more recently is that the location and species of trees we plant can have a substantial impact on how well our home gets free heat in the winter. If you live in northern climate I am sure you have noticed by now that the sun can still be fairly warm in the winter and that where it comes in your house and hits your floor tends to be warmer than the area around it. This free heat from the sun can be reduced or blocked by trees that are either a poor species choice or a bad location choice. Not only can the free heat from the sun be blocked by a badly placed or chosen tree you can also give up on free shading/cooling in the summer months by a badly placed tree. A young healthy tree say 30 feet tall can have the net cooling effect of 20 room sized window ac units. That could save you a lot of energy and money in the long run. If you live out on the Great Plains or some other windy local I am sure you know that wind especially in the winter can have a huge impact on you heating bill as it literally sucks the heat out of your house. Trees again can be the key to fixing this by planting them in long rows or L shapes into what is called a windbreak. Like the name implies a windbreak slows or stops the wind from impacting so heavily in a small area. In the winter a properly designed, planted and semi mature windbreak can reduce heating needs by 30%. Property Value Depending on the studies you look at you can find that tree will improve the monetary value of your home by up to 20%. That can be quite a lot for something that maybe cost you 100 to buy, plant and raise. Not only do trees make your home and the property more valuable but it has been found that a majority of home are easier to sell when they have mature trees on the property. Better Health Tree can affect your health for the better in many ways. Tree you plant in your yard help clean the air of pollutants. They also have been shown to reduce stress and increase speed of healing in hospital patients. The exercise you get from planting and caring for trees can also have a positive impact on your health as well. Finally if you plant fruit or nut bearing trees you are providing yourself with an easy source of high quality produce that will provide for years to come. https://www.arborday.org/trees/climatechange/windbreak.cfm https://www.arborday.org/trees/benefits.cfm
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AuthorHello my name is Josh Larson and I am the creator of the Green Living Library. Here on the blog you will find updates to content found in the Green Living Library as well as stories from those living the sustainable life already. Archives
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