Trees improve health
The health benefits of urban trees fall into two groups: the pollution-controlling aspect and the benefits of the spaces they create.
Trees and urban pollution
A large beech tree can provide enough oxygen for the daily requirements of ten people, and catches dust and pollutants on its leaves.
Trees have a positive impact on the incidence of asthma, skin cancer and stress-related illness by filtering out polluted air; they also reduce smog formation and shade out solar radiation.
What green spaces do for wellbeing
Green spaces can play a vital role in the health of the nation and green space can play an important part in tackling a range of health and social problems: find out how in the Faculty of Public Health report Great Outdoors: How our Natural Health Service Uses Green Space To Improve Wellbeing.
Trees also provide a calm setting for recreation, and promote outdoor activity in safe, community spaces. A study in Australia found that we are more likely to reach our recommended daily walking levels if we live near safe, attractive green spaces where we feel inclined to get out and active. Trees for Cities delivers just that.
The benefits of having green space in urban areas go on: Studies have shown that patients in hospital rooms with views of trees and plants made fewer requests for pain medication and experienced a speedier recovery following surgery than did patients with views of streets and buildings from their windows.
A tree view provides a temporary escape, and can even improve office workers’ job satisfaction.
Another study, at the Tokyo medical and Dental University, conducted over 5 years, suggested that the presence of spaces such as tree lined streets was associated with the longevity of senior citizens, as it promoted walking.
