Why Our Trees are Important for Dalton and Whitfield

I was a tree climber as a kid. Not a particularly good one, mind you, but I loved going up the big Magnolia and Pine trees around our house and sitting quietly listening to the birds, watching the sun filter through the leaves, and just hiding away for a minute of peace. While, I don’t climb trees as often as I used to, my love for them remains.

As an adult, being a tree lover can be hard. Generally, when we talk of trees we speak about insurance issues, sap landing on our cars, or branches blocking roads after storms and we forget the immense benefit we get from these trees even though we may not be climbing them.

As we head into summer, one of the biggest gifts we get from trees, cooler air, will become more apparent. Particularly in the center of Dalton there are many “heat islands.” These are areas that are multiple degrees hotter than other areas. This is typically areas with a lot of pavements like we experience downtown. Having trees in these areas can work wonders by limiting heat islands and making outdoors spaces more comfortable and safer, especially for vulnerable populations such as children and the elderly.

It is astounding to see how our temperatures have changed in the last few decades. Thirty years ago, Dalton had a 10% chance of having a heat wave that was three days or longer, but today the chance has surged to a significant 51%. These raising temperatures hurt our crops, raise our power bills, and can hurt our health. These rising temperatures have a tangible impact on our daily lives, making the cooling effects of trees even more valuable.

Even with all of our advancements in technology, we still heavy rely on products created from trees in our day-to-day life. Take a moment to consider the wooden furniture you sit on, rubber tires that carry you from place to place, and even the sticky notes you leave on your coworker’s desk. All of these items are made from trees. Trees play an important role in our comfort, convenience, and productivity. We rely on them for so much that we can often forget how critical they are for our daily life.  

Trees can also be enjoyed not for what they give us, but for how they make us feel. Parks and green spaces with surrounding trees serve as amazing spots to gather for families and communities particularly in the summer. Being outdoors and around trees has also been shown to improve our mental and physical health. The improvement to our health has even led to a trend called “forest bathing” where people go into woods and spend time soaking in the outdoors and enjoy being around trees. People who partake mention a sense of calm and increased energy.

Trees add to nature in ways that may also not be readily apparent as well. They create rich and diverse ecosystems, sometimes right in our back yards! They provide habitats and food sources for countless species from birds and squirrels to insects and microorganisms. The wildlife that benefit from these trees help us live in a healthy ecosystem and can also provide joy to us recreationally if you take up a hobby like nature photography or bird watching.

Pause today to appreciate the wonders that trees bring to our lives. Remember the next time you have to take a detour for a branch or spend extra time washing your car, that the trees that cause these slight inconveniences to our life also make our lives run and lead to healthier and happier communities.

Amy Hartline is the recycling and education program coordinator for the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority. Have a recycling question? Contact her at (706) 278-5001 or ahartline@dwswa.org.