Today I attended a seminar about trees. Evergreens, shade trees and ornamental trees. In 2010 Hedberg will be reselling top quality Minnesota-grown trees to landscape installers and to the public at our nursery in Stillwater.
We all know trees absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, so they’re important for our air quality. Until a few weeks ago I didn’t realize how important they are for our local water quality as well. It’s true. I was working with Julie Westerlund from the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District on a grant application to help a south Minneapolis neighborhood reduce and clean up stormwater run off and learned that trees are highly effecitve at doing just that.
Trees help manage stormwater flow by intercepting rainfall on leaves and branches and slowing the rate at which water runs over the surface of the land so it can seep into the ground. Trees draw water down into the soil and use it. A study by Center for Urban Forest Research reported that a typical medium-sized tree can intercept as much as 2380 gallons of rainfall per year. Trees are also natural pollution filters. Their canopies, trunks, roots, and associated soil and other natural elements of the landscape filter out polluted particulate before the runoff reaches storm sewers. Trees use nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium byproducts of urban living that can pollute our waterways.
Now I get it, they’re great for critters and will help save the plant, but what’s this about my bank account? Properly placed deciduous trees can reduce the summer heat load on a house by 10% to 30%, cutting air-conditioning costs. Well-placed evergreens can reduce winter heating requirements by a similar percentage, acting as a break against cold winter winds. And as the trees grow and mature, so do the savings. And get this. The Council of Tree & Landscape Appraisers (CTLA) estimates that a mature tree in a residential landscape can have a value of from $1,000 to $10,000.
Good for the planet, blossoming heralds of spring, pleasant to sit beneath in the summer, lovely colors to behold in the fall, sign of hope in the winter and a great return on investment. Hmm, maybe we should all plant a tree or two this spring.
I can direct you to top quality trees. Call me at 763-392-5909 or visit our Stillwater location this spring. Here’s a link if you want to browse tree selections online.