How do trees care for us?

Trees are our neighbors, our kin, our caretakers. They live all around us and offer so much protection, support, and nourishment to us but also to the many creatures who live here too. I’m watching trees be cut down every week in my neighborhood. People move into new homes and cut down trees. People get their houses ready for sale and cut down trees. Street trees get old and need to be cut down. Wooded lots are sold and trees are cut down. Developers build new complexes and cut down tress. And on and on it goes.

At the same time, our world grows hotter. Storms grown more unexpected and intense. We are facing increasing flooding. Our air is filled with toxins, including particulates from forest fires across the country. Our life span is getting shorter. Trees help us with all of those things. They provide the air we breathe (and return we provide them the air they breathe). They filter our water. They stabilize our soils. They lower temperatures. They store carbon. They provide joy and space for play, leisure and joy.

To learn more, read Boston’s Urban Forest Plan.