 Tree Benefits
Trees Advance Health and Healthy Lifestyles
Research shows that a green space environment reduces both mental and physical stress responses. Safe green environments have been connected to reduced levels of domestic violence and are said to foster safer, more socialized neighborhoods. This socialization is cited in various studies that associate decreases in property crimes and violent offenses with well-planted and treed residential buildings.
- Trees have a calming effect on drivers, along public streets, reducing speed and accident rates.
- Shade trees reduce exposure to ultraviolet light, lowering our risk to skin cancer and cataracts.
- Trees moderate temperatures in outdoor spaces.
- Trees encourage physical exercise and communal activities.
- Trees reduce noise pollution through buffering and absorption of urban noise.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that hospital patients who enjoy a room with a view of trees and vegetation appear to require less medication, boast quicker recovery times and suffer less post-operative complications.
Mental acuity is enhanced by verdant surroundings and workplaces with nature views reap a more productive workforce, with 23% less absenteeism and a superior job satisfaction. Surrounded by greenscapes, psychiatric patients exhibit heightened socialization, and reduced negative behavior.
Although it is not presumed that trees are solely responsible for these positive health statistics, an urban forest is widely credited to play a critical role in the health and well-being of urban dwellers.
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