Importance of Trees

It is almost impossible to imagine our town without trees, but fifty years ago many of the magnificent trees in our downtown were dying.  Fortunately, today we enjoy the beauty of a revitalized tree canopy along our streets in Manchester, primarily due to the efforts of the Friends of Manchester Trees.  Trees are not just beautiful to look at, however. They do so much more. According to the Nature Conservancy, Trees...

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Mitigate Climate Change

Through photosynthesis, trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air and store it in its wood. Older, larger trees store a lot more carbon than young trees, so it’s important that in addition to planting new trees, we conserve and protect the giant Heritage trees in our woods and along our streets.

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Boost our Physical and Mental Health

Exposure to forests and trees has been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce stress, improve one’s mood, and  increase one’s ability to focus. A walk among the trees in a town park correlates with a drop in anxiety and depression. 

 

Clean the Air

Take a walk on Powder House Hill and breath in the cool, clean air from all those trees! Trees remove the kind of air pollution this is most dangerous to our lungs: particulate matter. Most of that filtration happens within 100 feet of a tree, so we need trees to be planted all over our town.

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Provide a Home for Wildlife

Even a single tree can provide vital habit for countless species, adding to diversity and a healthy ecological balance.  Stands of old trees create habitat at the ground level, at the top of their tree canopies, and everywhere in between. The Friends of Manchester Trees plants a range of native species that support bird, small mammals, and insects (yes, even insects are beneficial.)

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Cool Down Your Life

Trees give us all shade—and that’s a good thing! Temperatures are rising and heatwaves are getting longer due to climate change.

Enter our branchy, leafy neighbors. Studies have shown that the shade provided by a tree's canopy can lower temperature by 10 degrees.

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Filter our Water

Our water has traveled on a long journey before it gets to Gravelly Pond or the Lincoln Street well. Trees store and filter more than half of the water supply in the United States. Forests do this by removing pollutants and sediments from rainfall and then slowly releasing the water back into waterways and underground aquifers. Thanks to trees, this naturally cleaner water is easier and cheaper to treat before it ends up in your tap.

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Enhance Property Values

Imagine what your property would look like if it had no trees.  Desolate. The same holds true for our public by-ways and parks in Manchester.  As the old Chinese Proverb says, "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."

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