Tree of the Week, And Eleven Ways Trees Save Our City (#5: Trees Reduce Global Warming)

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A twofer this week. We honor the silk oak as our Tree of the Week, and our friend Pieter Severynen counts the Eleven Ways Trees Save L.A.

We are probably a week or two late in honoring the silk oak -- its orange-gold blooms peaked at the end of May, as Bettijane Levine pointed out in the newspaper while we were busy fawning over jacarandas.

More: Grevillea robusta is messy and at up to 80 feet, too tall for many lawns, but its brilliant flowers are so full of nectar that they are tasty, and silk oaks are spectacular bird magnets.

Now Pieter and Eleven Ways. Here’s what he sent us this week:

‘City trees are essential for our health and survival. They provide us with oxygen and clean the air by trapping pollutants; by lowering the temperature of paved areas they reduce the ‘heat island effect’ that makes cities much hotter than surrounding rural areas; they lessen energy consumption through shading of buildings; they reduce global warming by trapping carbon in their woody tissues; they help guide traffic, improve wildlife habitat, reduce storm water runoff, beautify our cities, increase property values and reduce our stress by making the environment peaceful. They bring us these benefits in an urban environment that is much harsher than a natural forest: there is only limited space for canopy and roots; the soil is typically poor; air and water pollution, chemical and mechanical damage and vandalism occur; funding for maintenance is always in short supply and maintenance itself is often of low quality. Next time outside, thank the trees!’

Thank you, Pieter.
Comments? Insights? Nominations for future Trees of the Week?
Photo Credit: LATimes