Trees and Our Health
Moss growing on the trunk of a dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides). One of many recommended street trees by the city of Portland, Oregon.
Debbie Teashon
There is mounting evidence, after 18 years of research data from 15 states, that trees in our personal environments are associated with better health. Geoffrey Donovan, a researcher with the Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research Station, and his colleagues believe the loss of trees has a detrimental impact on our well-being.
Deaths from cardiovascular disease and lower respiratory diseases went up in areas where the emerald ash borer killed all the ash trees. City streets that are lined with ash trees are soon left treeless when the borer shows up. The Science Daily reports, “Although the study shows the association between loss of trees and human mortality from cardiovascular and lower respiratory disease, it did not prove a causal link. The reason for the association is yet to be determined.” Donovan however noted in the areas where all the trees died: "… we saw the same pattern repeated over and over in counties with very different demographic makeups."
City planners and developers could also take a lesson in diversifying street trees. If there is a disease or pest outbreak that wipes out whole species, or in this case all the species within a genus, a community will not lose all of its trees.
You can read more about this story on Science Daily.
Here is Portland’s great list of street trees that will beautify our Northwest streets.
Gardening for the Homebrewer: Grow and Process Plants for Making Beer, Wine, Gruit, Cider, Perry, and More
By co-authors Debbie Teashon (Rainy Side Gardeners) and Wendy Tweton
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