Global Warming Truth or Myth

You can hear good argument on both sides of this but what it comes down to is this. It is scientifically proven that trees are needed to take care of this big blue ball. What you believe about Global warming has nothing to do with what you will read here. I do not care what you think about global warming. I want to raise your awareness about trees.

Here are the top 10 things trees do. Before we even get into this you will find that it is not a stretch to believe that without trees we humans would not exist on this beautiful planet.

1. Trees Produce Oxygen. As we all know without oxygen we would die! One mature leafy tree produces as much oxygen for 10, that's right 10, people will inhale in a YEAR. It also acts as a filter to clean the air we breath.
2. Cleans the Soil. Trees absorb the dangerous chemicals and pollutants that have entered the soil. They will either store of change the pollutant into less harmful forms.
3. Control Noise Pollution. They muffle urban noise almost as well as a stone wall. Strategically planted trees can abate unwanted noises from highway, airports or noisy neighbors.
4. Slow Storm Water Runoff. Flash flooding can be dramatically reduced by forest of by planting trees. One Colorado blue spruce, either planted or growing wild, can intercept more than 1000 gallons of water annually when grown.
5. Trees are Carbon Sinks. I didn't know what that meant either. A tree absorbs and locks away carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a global warming suspect. So a forest is a "sink" that can lock up as much carbon us it produces. This locking up process "stores" carbon as wood.
6. Trees Clean the Air. Trees help cleanse the air by intercepting airborne particles, reducing heat, and absorbing such pollutants as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide. Trees remove this air pollution by lowering air temperature. through respiration, and by retaining particles.
7. Shade and Cool. Shade resulting in cooling is what a tree is best know for. Shade reduces the need for air conditioning in the summer. In winter they break the force of the winds, lowering heating costs. When I grew up in Southern Missouri, we did not have air conditioning but we had a lot of trees that were fairly close to the house.
8. Acts as Windbreaks. During windy cold season, trees located on the windward side as as windbreaks. This wind break can lower home heating bills up to 30% and have a significant effect on reducing snow drifts.
9. Fight Soil Erosion. Tree roots bind the soil and their leaves break the force of wind and rain on the soil. Trees fight soil erosion, conserve water, and reduce water runoff and sediment deposit after storms.
10. Increase Property Value. Real estate values increase when trees beautify a property or neighborhood. Trees can increase the property value of your home by 15% or more.

There are many more purposes for trees I also read that trees reduce violence in neighborhoods, provide food and medicine, provide homes for many creatures, protect us from ultra-violet rays and of course provide us wood for many projects.

If you take a look at the amount of forests that are being taken for many reasons not just the wood it is overwhelming. They are currently bringing oil up in many forested areas, which means clearing to bring in the equipment and even though they can afford to do it safely businesses are cutting corners and producing a lot of contaminants in areas where people who do not have the means to fight back. It effects us all though. And since it is out of sight and out of mind we don't think about how it may effect us. Check out this article on oil extraction practices.

I hope this raises your awareness of the importance of trees. What you may or may not believe about global warming has nothing to do with the fact that trees are vital to our existence. Does it really matter weather or not you believe in global warming. That is a catch phrase people use to divide us. From this information we find that trees are essential to life. Big business goes into these forested areas and tell us how much they can reduce the price of fossil fuels by using techniques to bring those fuels to the surface. They leave out the fact that they might use practices that we would find appalling if it was in our backyard. Let me qualify that I do not know who is and who is not working ethically in these countries. The fact that some are practicing less control and protection of the environment can be seen in the law suits and pictures.

I bring this to you to inform not to persuade. Check it out for yourself, never be convinced by what people say. Of course what is covered here about trees is scientific fact, the rest you can determine by your own research.