Why do we need trees? Discover why trees are an important natural air conditioner.

Wondering why we need trees? Forest is oxygen, and oxygen is life. According to scientists, 60 to more than 200 grams of oxygen flow through our lungs every day, depending on our physical activity. The trees themselves are a giant air conditioner that can cool the air by up to a dozen degrees on hot days.

One hectare of deciduous forest can produce about 700 kilograms of oxygen, which is the daily demand for more than 2,500 people. It is estimated that one large tree (25 meters tall) removes as much carbon dioxide from the environment in a day as two single-family houses emit. On the other hand, a 100-year-old beech tree “produces” in an hour1200 liters of oxygen, and a 60-year-old pine tree “produces” in a day as much oxygen as 3 people need.
Trees, moreover, significantly mitigate the greenhouse effect and stabilize the Earth’s climate. They do this by maintaining adequate humidity and moderating sudden changes in temperature. They also provide a natural barrier to pollutants in the air, and their roots slow down soil erosion processes, thereby reducing water pollution. Trees also serve as wind and snow barriers, as well as flood barriers, as they reinforce the banks of rivers, lakes and seas. Planted along busy roads, they have an impact on noise reduction. They are home to thousands of creatures – from insects and mammals to birds. They also have their own holiday. Tree Week falls between November 24 and December 2.

Tree planting has become famous due to musician Tomasz Organek, who once plants a tree with his band or donates a sapling in every city where his concert is held. The musicians gave all the trees names so that they would never be forgotten. The beginning was given by Maria (after Prof. Maria Janion), which they planted in front of the Radio Nowy Świat headquarters in Warsaw, and, for example, in Bielsko-Biala they gave a sapling named Bohdan – in honor of Bohdan Smolen.
This is not the first and not the only environmental initiative of people of culture and art. In the center of Wlodawa, more than a dozen trees were to go under the axe from the square that serves as the market square. It seems that most of them are salvageable. Their fate was courted on social media by Mariusz Szczygieł and Tomasz Organek, among others.

It is estimated that raising the air temperature by one degree increases electricity consumption by 2 percent. A mature tree in summer transpires up to 450 liters of water into the air per day, equivalent to five large air conditioners running 20 hours. per day and 5 lowering the ambient temperature by 3-7°C. Americans accept that well-placed, mature trees on a plot can bring a homeowner up to 30 percent of savings per year on air conditioning and from 10 to 25 percent. savings on residential heating.
Trees also help to equalize the so-called “green” trees. “Heat islands” resulting from excess glass and concrete in our environment. Mature trees can lower summer air temperatures by up to 11 degrees compared to areas without trees. What’s more, the parking lot coverage is 50 percent. trees results in a 1 ton reduction in toxic aromatic hydrocarbons. Trees also have a direct impact on urban pollution. The leaves of trees trap dust and particles and help remove toxic substances from the atmosphere. A well-placed tree is a buffer that protects us not only from pollution, but also from urban noise, which is why it is so important to plant them along streets and roads. It turns out that trees reduce noise by up to 50 percent.

As you can see, planting trees is the cheapest way to improve the natural and social environment. Their natural significance is manifold and difficult to overestimate. In turn, people need to be convinced that spending money on trees is not a whim and an empty gesture, but a highly profitable investment that brings concrete economic and social benefits.