Srygler: Tree benefits and DeKalb’s Parkway Tree Program

Trees offer many benefits for both us and the environment.

The city of DeKalb is currently offering to help plant trees in the parkways along your roads. You can apply for the tree-planting program described below.

Trees benefit people

Trees directly improve our lives. The Morton Arboretum’s website provides details of the benefits of trees. Not only do plants provide oxygen for us to breathe, but they also filter air pollution that we don’t want to breathe. We are healthier when spending time outside around trees.

People feel more relaxed around trees, partly due to the trees absorbing sounds to make it quieter and absorbing heat to make it cooler. Have you ever walked on hot blacktop on a hot sunny day? You’ve felt the difference when you reach the shade of a tree. Shade trees can reduce the surrounding temperature by 10 to 15 degrees.

Trees benefit the environment

Trees decrease soil loss. Much of Illinois recently experienced a dust storm caused by high winds moving unsecured soil. Plant roots provide physical structures that hold soil in place. Large trees also act as windbreaks, slowing the wind at ground level.

Trees also slow the movement of water, which reduces flooding. Rainwater filtering in the ground is slowed by tree roots. Surface runoff also is slowed, decreasing flooding and the stress on our stormwater systems. This happens when leaves gather raindrops, giving the water a chance to evaporate. It’s estimated that the large canopy of 100 mature trees can capture 250,000 gallons of rainwater per year.

They also support other species in the environment. Just like buildings give us space to live, trees provide food, room and shelter for a more complex ecosystem.

As more trees mature, they have a positive impact on climate change. Carbon dioxide that we release as a greenhouse gas is absorbed and sequestered as plants grow. That large tree trunk that you are looking at contains carbon that was pulled from the atmosphere.

Trees benefit the economy

Money invested in trees provides up to 500% in returns. We save money on heating and cooling thanks to trees! Shade protects buildings from the hot sun in the summer. Those same trees act as windbreaks in the winter to decrease heat loss from cold winds.

Businesses in tree-lined areas can see increases in spending by shoppers. Mature trees also increase home values.

Carbon sequestration and floodwater mitigation can be costly. Trees passively provide these ecosystem services for us.

Here is your chance to help

Would you like to improve your neighborhood by having more tree-lined streets? The city of DeKalb has a program to cover half the cost of planting trees in your yard’s parkway. Applications are available now for the city’s 50/50 Parkway Tree Program. Please search for the form on the city’s website or visit City Hall to apply.

The application lists available tree species and the cost per tree. A variety of tree species will promote biodiversity in DeKalb. Are there power lines above your parkway? There are several shorter trees that are approved for overhead power lines. Once approved, the city will arrange for a tree service to plant your trees in the fall.

• Rob Srygler earned his Ph.D. at Northern Illinois University and is an associate professor of biology at Rock Valley College. He is a member of the city of DeKalb Citizens’ Environmental Commission.