Everyone knows that trees purify the air. Being in a forest or park, you can feel that the air is completely different, not the same as on the dusty city streets. It's much easier to breathe in the cool shade of the trees. Why is this happening?
Photosynthesis
Tree leaves are small laboratories in which, under the influence of sunlight and heat, the carbon dioxide contained in the air is converted into organic substances and oxygen.
Organic substances are processed into the material from which the plant is built, i.e. trunk, roots, etc. Oxygen is released from the leaves into the air. In one hour, one hectare of forest absorbs all the carbon dioxide that two hundred people can produce during this time!
Trees purify the air by absorbing pollutants
The surface of leaves has the ability to capture airborne particles and remove them from the air (at least temporarily). Microscopic particles in the air can enter the lungs, which can lead to serious health problems or tissue irritation. So it is very important to reduce their concentration in the air, which trees do successfully. Trees can remove both gaseous pollutants (sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide) and particulate dust particles. Purification mainly occurs with the help of stomata. Stomata are small windows or pores located on the leaf through which water evaporates and gases exchange with the environment. Thus, dust particles, without reaching the ground, settle on the leaves of trees, and under their canopy the air is much cleaner than above the crowns. But not all trees can tolerate dusty and polluted conditions: ash, linden and spruce suffer greatly from them. Dust and gases can lead to blockage of stomata. However, oak, poplar or maple are more resistant to the harmful effects of a polluted atmosphere.
Trees reduce temperatures during the hot season
When you walk under the scorching sun, you always want to find a shady tree. And how nice it can be to take a walk in a cool forest on a hot day. Being under the canopy of trees is more comfortable not only because of the shade. Thanks to transpiration (that is, the process of evaporation of water by a plant, which occurs mainly through leaves), lower wind speed and relative humidity, fallen leaves under the trees create a certain microclimate. Trees suck a lot of water from the soil, which then evaporates through the leaves. All these factors collectively affect the air temperature under the trees, where it is usually 2 degrees lower than in the sun.
But how does lower temperature affect air quality? Many pollutants begin to be released more actively as temperatures rise. A perfect example of this is a car left in the sun in the summer. Hot seats and door handles create a suffocating atmosphere in the car, so you want to turn on the air conditioning faster. Especially in new cars, where the smell has not yet dissipated, it becomes especially strong. In particularly sensitive people, it can even lead to asthma.
Trees emit volatile organic compounds
Most trees emit volatile organic substances - phytoncides. Sometimes these substances form a haze. Phytoncides are capable of destroying pathogenic microbes, many pathogenic fungi, having a strong effect on multicellular organisms and even killing insects. The best producer of medicinal volatile organic substances is the pine forest. In pine and cedar forests the air is almost sterile. Pine phytoncides increase the overall tone of a person and have a beneficial effect on the central and sympathetic nervous system. Trees such as cypress, maple, viburnum, magnolia, jasmine, white acacia, birch, alder, poplar and willow also have pronounced bactericidal properties.
Trees are vital for maintaining clean air and the entire ecosystem on Earth. Everyone understands this, even small children. However, deforestation is not slowing down. The world's forests have decreased by 1.5 million square meters. km for 2000 -2012 for non-anthropogenic (natural) and anthropogenic reasons. In Russia, the Far East is particularly affected by deforestation. The map of deforestation can now be viewed using a service from Google and you can see the real state of affairs in forestry, which is very worrying.
Phytoncides released by plants have the ability to cleanse the air of bacteria and saturate it with light negative ions. The phytoncidal properties of conifers are especially pronounced. Among those growing in the middle zone, thuja takes first place in terms of phytoncides, followed by pine, spruce, fir, and juniper.
But in the conditions of modern cities, it is becoming increasingly difficult for plants to demonstrate their protective properties; they already have to fight for their own survival under the pressure of external unfavorable factors, which intensify with the growth of cities upward and deeper and with an increase in traffic flows in them.
The main causes of disease and death of plants in the city, not counting mechanical damage to trunks and roots, are lack of moisture, insufficient lighting, unfavorable soil conditions, salinization and soil contamination with heavy metals and excessive air pollution.
Often, mature trees cannot withstand a sharp change in the conditions in which they have grown all their lives, for example, shading due to the construction of a high-rise building, or a sharp decrease in the groundwater level associated with digging a pit at a distance of 100-200 meters, or with soil compaction from the spontaneous parking of cars that appeared under the trees. Young specimens tend to adapt better to change.
But when replacing dead plantings, it is necessary first of all to select species that are resistant to urban conditions. This question has been studied, probably, since the first cities arose. And now we know that in the city it is not worth planting the capricious common spruce, which is demanding on soil conditions and moisture and cannot tolerate polluted air. The common pine is also not gas-resistant, although it is undemanding to the soil and is a very frost-resistant species. Near busy highways and in the city center is clearly not its place. The beauties western thuja and prickly spruce tolerate smoke and gas pollution in the urban atmosphere better than other evergreen conifers, they are very frost-resistant, prickly spruce is also drought-resistant, but demanding of light, thuja, on the contrary, is one of the most shade-tolerant species, but does not like the soil to dry out. But Siberian and European larch is our champion for survival in urban environments. It’s not for nothing that it is the only conifer that survives on permafrost. Its drought and smoke-gas resistance is facilitated by the autumn shedding of needles. Together with the needles, the plant annually partes with the harmful substances accumulated in the tissues of the needles. In evergreen conifers, the accumulation of pollutants in the needles continues for as many years as the needles live. This, of course, has a negative impact on the life of the plant. When choosing a place to plant larch, it is necessary to take into account its exceptional love for light. Junipers, especially Cossack juniper, are also quite resistant to urban environments. Common juniper does not tolerate gas pollution well.
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A wonderful bright variety. The bush is very compact, dense and even, height 100-130 cm, diameter 100-120 cm. The branches are red-brown. The leaves are elliptical or ovate, up to 12 cm long, slightly pubescent above, much more pubescent below, especially along the veins. Flowers in long, wide-pyramidal panicles up to 30 cm long. Fruiting flowers are small, their petals are white, falling off early; sterile flowers are much larger, up to 2.5 cm in diameter, with four white petals that later become dark pink. It blooms for a long time - from mid-June to October. Color may vary depending on soil type and climate.
Everyone knows that trees clean the air. Being in a forest or park, you can feel that the air is completely different, not the same as on the dusty city streets. It's much easier to breathe in the cool shade of the trees. Why is this happening?
Tree leaves are small laboratories in which, under the influence of sunlight and heat, the carbon dioxide contained in the air is converted into organic substances and oxygen.
Organic substances are processed into the material from which the plant is built, i.e. trunk, roots, etc. Oxygen is released from the leaves into the air. In one hour, one hectare of forest absorbs all the carbon dioxide that two hundred people can produce during this time!
Trees purify the air by absorbing pollutants
The surface of leaves has the ability to capture airborne particles and remove them from the air (at least temporarily). Microscopic airborne particles can enter the lungs, which can cause serious health problems or tissue irritation. So it is very important to reduce their concentration in the air, which trees do successfully. Trees can remove both gaseous pollutants (sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide) and particulate dust particles. Purification mainly occurs with the help of stomata. Stomata are small windows or pores located on the leaf through which water evaporates and gases exchange with the environment. Thus, dust particles, without reaching the ground, settle on the leaves of trees, and under their canopy the air is much cleaner than above the crowns. But not all trees can tolerate dusty and polluted conditions: ash, linden and spruce suffer greatly from them. Dust and gases can lead to blockage of stomata. However, oak, poplar or maple are more resistant to the harmful effects of a polluted atmosphere.
Trees reduce temperatures during the hot season
When you walk under the scorching sun, you always want to find a shady tree. And how nice it can be to walk in a cool forest on a hot day! Being under the canopy of trees is more comfortable not only because of the shade. Thanks to transpiration (that is, the process of evaporation of water by a plant, which occurs mainly through leaves), lower wind speeds and relative humidity, fallen leaves under the trees create a certain microclimate. Trees suck a lot of water from the soil, which then evaporates through the leaves. All these factors collectively affect the air temperature under the trees, where it is usually 2 degrees lower than in the sun.
But how does lower temperature affect air quality? Many pollutants begin to be released more actively as temperatures rise. A perfect example of this is a car left in the sun in the summer. Hot seats and door handles create a suffocating atmosphere in the car, so you want to turn on the air conditioning faster. Especially in new cars, where the smell has not yet dissipated, it becomes especially strong. In particularly sensitive people, it can even lead to asthma.
Trees emit volatile organic compounds
Most trees emit volatile organic substances - phytoncides. Sometimes these substances form a haze. Phytoncides are capable of destroying pathogenic microbes, many pathogenic fungi, having a strong effect on multicellular organisms and even killing insects. The best producer of medicinal volatile organic substances is the pine forest. In pine and cedar forests the air is almost sterile. Pine phytoncides increase the overall tone of a person and have a beneficial effect on the central and sympathetic nervous system. Trees such as cypress, maple, viburnum, magnolia, jasmine, white acacia, birch, alder, poplar and willow also have pronounced bactericidal properties.
Trees are vital for maintaining clean air and the entire ecosystem on Earth. Everyone understands this, even small children. However, deforestation is not slowing down. The world's forests have decreased by 1.5 million square meters. km for 2000-2012 for non-anthropogenic (natural) and anthropogenic reasons. In Russia. Now you can look using the Google service and see the real state of affairs in forestry, which is very worrying.
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Trees purify the air well and absorb harmful substances. We talked with the owners of the website http://ecology-of.ru/ and they told us a little about how trees clean the air.
In the leaves of any ordinary tree, chlorophyll grains always absorb carbon dioxide and then release oxygen. In summer, under natural conditions, any small tree in a day releases enough oxygen to breathe for four people. It is known that one hectare of plantings absorbs about eight liters of carbon dioxide in one hour, and then releases an amount of oxygen into the atmosphere. This is quite enough to support the lives of thirty people. Trees also bring benefits - they purify the ground layer of air, approximately up to a thickness of approximately forty-five meters.
There are many tree species that are used for landscaping cities. All of them are beneficial. For example, take a regular chestnut. He has a lot of good things. Exhaust gases come in - the chestnut cleanses...
Instructions
At the beginning of summer, poplars begin to bloom. Their fluff swirls through the streets, irritating many residents. However, local authorities are not always in a hurry to cut down these trees. There is a good reason for this: poplar can be called the record holder among trees for air purification. Its wide and sticky leaves successfully trap dust, filtering the air.
Poplar grows quickly and gains green mass, which absorbs carbon dioxide and produces oxygen through photosynthesis. A hectare of poplars produces 40 times more oxygen than a hectare of coniferous trees. The oxygen released by one adult tree per day is enough for 3 people to breathe during this time. At the same time, one car burns as much oxygen in 2 hours of operation as one poplar synthesizes in 2 years. In addition, poplar successfully humidifies the air around it.
A special advantage of poplar is its unpretentiousness and resilience: it survives along highways and next to smoky areas...
It is no secret that the ecological state of cities leaves much to be desired. Even if there are no metallurgical or chemical enterprises in a populated area, carbon monoxide poisons the surrounding air with constant regularity. It is only thanks to trees that we receive oxygen and, as a result, continue to live. The tree crown absorbs carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and produces pure oxygen.
Squares and parks not only decorate cities, but help clean the air from human waste and exhaust gases. The average tree is able to purify in one day the amount of oxygen that three people can breathe. Some tree species can absorb the amount of exhaust gases that are released during a car run of 20 thousand kilometers.
How do trees clean the air in cities? Dust raised by the wind lingers on the crowns of trees. 1 hectare of deciduous trees can retain up to 100 tons of dust, and coniferous trees about 40 tons. Like this...
Trees are our best friends!!! If you doubt this, then we present to your attention the 20 main reasons why it is worth planting, caring for and protecting trees.
#1: Fight the greenhouse effect
It was the result of excess greenhouse gases created by burning fossil fuels and the destruction of tropical forests. The sun's heat, reflected from the Earth, becomes trapped in a layer of greenhouse gases, causing global temperatures to continually rise. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is considered one of the main greenhouse gases. Trees convert CO2 into oxygen. Over the course of one year, an acre of mature trees absorbs the same amount of CO2 as a car driven 26,000 miles.
#2: Purify the air
Trees absorb odors and pollutant gases (nitrogen oxides, ammonia, sulfur dioxide and ozone) and also filter particulate matter from the air by trapping them on leaves and bark.
#3: Provides us with oxygen
In one year, an acre of mature trees can provide oxygen to 18 people.
#4: Cool down the streets and cities
Over the past 50 years, due to large-scale construction and a decrease in the amount of green space, the average temperature in cities has increased markedly. Trees can lower temperatures by several degrees Celsius by providing shade for our homes and streets, breaking up urban heat islands and releasing water vapor into the air through their leaves.
#5: Save energy
Three trees properly placed around a home can reduce summer air conditioning needs by 50%. By reducing the demand for energy to cool our buildings, emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants from power plants are reduced.
#6: Save water
Many seedlings need about 15 gallons of water per week. Shade from trees slows down the evaporation of water from the soil and increases moisture in the atmosphere.
#7: Prevent water pollution
Trees reduce runoff by breaking up sediment, which helps slow the flow of water. This prevents pollutants and debris from entering the ocean. Trees also act as a sponge that filters groundwater.
#8: Prevent soil erosion
Trees use their root systems to bind the soil, holding it in place, and also slow the speed of wind and the flow of water.
#9: Protect children from UV rays
Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in countries with hot and sunny climates. Trees reduce exposure to ultraviolet rays by approximately 50%, thereby protecting children in schoolyards and playgrounds where they spend a lot of time.
#10: Provide us with food
An apple tree can produce about 400-600 kg of fruit per year. In addition to feeding people, trees provide food for birds and wild animals.
#11: Heal
Studies have shown that patients in rooms with tree views recover significantly faster and with fewer complications. Children with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) were observed to exhibit fewer symptoms of the disease when they had access to. Looking at green trees relaxes and reduces mental fatigue.
#12: Reduce violence
Homes that do not have trees have shown significantly greater levels of violence among their owners than their landscaped counterparts. Trees also help reduce fear.
#13: Gives an idea of the time of year
Is it winter, spring, summer or autumn? Take a look at the trees and it will immediately become clear!
#14: Create economic opportunity
Fruits collected from the garden can be sold, thereby providing income. Good prospects for green business arise in cities, which in our time, more than ever. Professional training courses for people interested in landscaping jobs are also an excellent way to gain economic benefits.
#15: Teachers and Playmates
Homes for children or places of creative and spiritual inspiration for adults. Trees provide us with a cozy space to play, socialize, work or study.
#16: Brings different groups of people together
Planting young trees provides an opportunity for groups of people of different ages, genders and views to participate in collective activities, which improves mutual understanding and leads to new interesting acquaintances.
#17: Serve as protection and habitat for animals
Oak and chestnut are among the many species of urban trees that provide housing and shelter for insects, birds, squirrels and other animals.
#18: Decorate
Trees can mask unsightly views as well as muffle sounds and create a pleasant and soothing green curtain for the eyes.
#19: Provide wood
In suburban and rural areas, wood can be used as fuel for space heating or cooking.
#20: Increase the value of real estate
The beauty of well-planted and well-maintained trees near a home can increase its value by as much as 15%.
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