Hey! This Sunday (28th July) is National Tree Day! Many keen gardeners are well aware that having a nice garden surrounding where we live, or in the parks in our town, or shady tree lined streets, give us many benefits. Our health, our air quality, our happiness, our property values, our environment are all improved by planting shrubs and trees.
National Tree Day is an initiative by Planet Ark and partner organisations to promote planting of trees and the benefits of doing so. See www.treeday.planetark.org for more detail. The plant nursery industry that I am involved with, is also involved in a couple of projects such as Plant Life Balance and 202020 Vision which are all about measuring and proving some of the benefits to our health, the environment and our economy, of having more trees and other plants around us and across our landscapes.
A summary of some of the benefits of having more plants and trees around us are as follows:
• a 5% increase in tree cover can reduce nearby daytime temperature by 2.3 degrees, which could be crucial as heatwaves cost more lives than all other climate change impacts
• healthy trees in our gardens, towns and cities absorb carbon dioxide and air pollutants from the atmosphere while providing oxygen for us to breath
• time spent in green, outdoor spaces can lower the risk of many diseases including heart disease and diabetes
• 83% of Australians see green space as a place for relaxation and taking time out. 73% see their garden as a sanctuary for their mental wellbeing. Contact with nature is found to have health and psychological benefits, including reducing stress, improving attention and a positive effect on mental restoration.
So….get out on National Tree Day this Sunday and plant a tree for your health and wellbeing!
By Ian Rogan
Millthorpe Garden Nursery