How Does Planting Trees Help to Reduce Energy Costs?
If you want to improve the shade or privacy of your yard, you should consider planting trees. However, if you have never actually planted trees, it can be an intimidating prospect. To begin with, what kind of trees would thrive in your yard? Look for tips in a tree species guide. Trees thrive in particular regions and environments, so make sure that you choose something that will survive in your area. Otherwise, you’ll be setting yourself up for disappointment.
Next, look for affordable trees near me. If you don’t know how to buy a tree, you should talk to your local garden center for advice. They have experience with how to plant a tree near me, so they can walk you through the process. Consider how much money you want to spend and which trees would look good in your yard. You can also learn about commercial tree preservation. This can help you in later years, when your tree needs some extra care. By making those connections at your garden center now, you’ll be able to keep your tree healthy later.
A single glimpse of a tree in autumn colors brings to mind the connection between humans and trees. A shady tree in summer means comfort. Winter trees with their berries for birds and greens for foraging deer are a reminder that we can survive hardship. And a flowering tree in the spring absolutely does not need any words for its message of happiness and renewal.Without saying a word, trees speak to us in so many different ways. They remind us of the connection we have to the natural world, even though many of us are hard pushed to remember it. There are also many practical benefits to planting trees. They keep the environment cooler in the summer, and act as windbreaks, sheltering homes from fall and winter storms. Landscaping and tree trimming tips from experienced arborists can even add to the value to your property.
The language of trees
In more practical terms, trees offer many benefits. When chosen and planted carefully around homes and other buildings, they can act as windbreaks, reducing the impact of storms and cold winter winds. In the summer, they offer shade which can reduce your cooling bills noticeably. They add beauty to your landscaping and at the same time improve your property values.
Natural cooling reduces your energy bills
Trees are quite literally nature’s air conditioners, regulating temperatures around them through natural processes. The evaporation of excess moisture around a single tree can produce a remarkable cooling effect. When measured, it has been found to be equal to the cooling effect produced by ten room-sized air conditioners, if they are kept running twenty hours daily.
The shade also makes an inviting place to sit. In fact, researchers have found that planting trees on the west side of your house, which gets the full late-afternoon sun in the summer, can reduce your electric bills due to lower cooling costs. As the trees grow in size, so do the savings. Five years after you first plant the trees, your energy bills will be 3% less, and in 15 years, they will be 12% lower.
Windbreaks lower costs and increase value
Planting trees as windbreaks also reduces heating bills in the winter, by as much as 10 to 15%. Windbreaks also reduce sounds and can cut noise pollution by up to 40%. Strategically planted, trees offer privacy at the same time that they improve the view. Just at trees and plants actually has health benefits.
With all these benefits, planting trees improves property values by 5 to 15%. Homes that have been landscaped with trees also sell faster than those without, a sure sign of a desirable residence.
How to choose the right trees for planting
There are many factors that go into choosing the right types of tress, and also the right places to plant them. When picking trees, it is important to keep in mind the year-round appearance of the tree, the height it will reach when full-grown, the amount of sunlight needed, and the location and purpose.
Most tree species need at least 50% open sunlight to grow well. They also need around one inch of rain every week to ten days, though the exact amount may vary with the species. Tree trimming tips and advice from tree service companies and tree specialists can help you to keep your trees in their best condition.
Environmentally friendly tree care and tree trimming tips
Maintaining tree health is best left to experienced arborists, who are familiar with all aspects of tree care from planting, pruning and trimming to bracing and stump removal. Tree trimming tips from the Department of Agriculture include the suggestion that they should know be pruned or trimmed annually, during the dormant season.
While tree trimming tips and advice are useful, it may be best to leave the actual trimming to professional arborists, who have the necessary training to do the job without hurting themselves or the trees.