15 Benefits Trees Have on Our Environment

As you may already know, Slackers has partnered with American Forests (AF) to launch a tree planting program called Play to Plant. We decided to take our love for the outdoors up a notch and instead of just enjoying nature, we wanted to give back too! 

What impact are we making as we work with AF to plant these trees? Aside from being beautiful to admire, there are an endless amount of benefits that trees provide for our planet, our health, our environment and even our wallets!

In no specific order, here is a breakdown of 15 benefits that trees have on our environment as well as some insight into the impact that Slacker's Play to Plant Program is going to have!

#1 55% of Americans get their drinking water from forests, both local and public.

Water is essential to all life! It is essential to all living and breathing beings including humans, animals and plants. Without water, we could not survive and trees not only absorb and store our water - they purify it too. Thanks to our forests, we have an abundance of clean and healthy water to help keep us hydrated!

#2 Trees in the U.S. absorb about 17.4 million tons of air pollutants a year.

You read that right. 17.4 million tons. This helps to prevent, on average, 670,000 cases of acute respiratory symptoms every single year such as one of the most common, asthma.

#3 A 10% increase in the number of entry level urban forestry jobs (most related to tree trimming and pruning) is expected from 2018 to 2028.

Yes, planting trees can aid in the creation of jobs! The more trees we plant, the higher the need for experts in caring for them. That is a major win for our environment, fellow Americans and our economy.

#4 Trees can cool down a city block by as much as 10 degrees.

Did you know that downtown metro areas tend to be an average of 10 degrees warmer than the surrounding, more natural areas? Planting trees in these communities will help provide shade for businesses, residential buildings and pedestrians. We can even consider the benefit of the shade cooling the sidewalks, so our furry friends can have a more comfortable walk!

#5 U.S. forests capture and store 14.9% of U.S carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels each year.

In 2019, the U.S. emitted 5.13 million metric tons of CO2. That means that our forests were able to absorb 780,000 tons of carbon dioxide - every bit helps but we need more trees!

#6 The right trees planted in the right place can reduce summer air-conditioning costs by as much as 50% depending on the number, type and age of trees.

The more shade you have around your home, the cooler it will remain without having to hike up your energy bill.

#7 A 10% increase in the number of entry level urban forestry jobs expected from 2018 to 2028.

On top of all of the incredible health benefits of trees, creating jobs in urban communities is just the cherry on top!

#8 Trees in urban communities and small towns help reduce energy bills by about $7.8 billion annually.

Whether it's for blocking the sun to keep the house cool or providing a barrier from wind and colder air, we save energy AND money because of trees in our neighborhoods!

#9 Trees provide habitat for important creatures of our eco system.

Not only do the trees provide shelter for animals, they provide food and resources for them to survive and remain important contributors to our eco system!

#10 The reduction of air pollutants that happens when planting trees has resulted in helping to prevent a number of acute respiratory symptoms.

The trees planted by American Forests have reduced the number of cases of health issues such as asthma by about 670,000 annually.

#11 Slackers made a pledge to plant 10,000 trees in 2021 through the new Play to Plant program.

That's 31 acres of forest which is equivalent to 24 football fields or 13 city blocks!

#12 The 10,000 trees planted by Slackers are enough to capture, store and filter 1,830,368 gallons of water each year.

We could fill 3 Olympic sized swimming pools with that amount of water!

#13 The Slackers project will have long term effects. By the time these trees are fifty years old, they forests will have stored nearly 805 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in their roots, stems, and trunks.

That's enough to recover the annual carbon emissions from energy use in 93 American homes.

#14 Those same trees will eventually remove 3,007 pounds of air pollutants per year.

That amounts to emissions from 20 vehicles on the road!

#15 10,000 trees makes up for the usage of 417 metric tons of office paper!

This is one of our favorites. Did you know the average office worker generates about 2 pounds of paper per day?!