Speaking of trees

Trees can be used for timber and firewood. To climb in, pick fruit from and to admire. There are thought to be around 10 billion trees in Norway, and that number is rising as a result of investment in forestry combined with rewilding of agricultural land. 10 billion trees can sound like a lot, and in fact the forest volume in Norway has tripled over the last 90 years. The problem is that too few of the trees are found in the cities. Because while the forests are growing, the development in access to green areas in our largest cities has been negative. There are many good reasons why we need greener cities with more trees:

‍‍Cleaner air: For every cubic meter a tree grows, it will absorb approximately 1 tonne of carbon dioxide and give off 700 kg of oxygen. A deciduous tree of average size can also absorb approx. 9 kg of road dust per year.

‍Biodiversity: An old oak tree can house 2000 different plant and animal species. It probably takes a bit to achieve this in a city, but city trees are important habitats for both insects, birds and bats.

‍Surface water management: Trees combined with plant beds can greatly reduce runoff to the surface water network and thus help reduce the flash floods. In addition, the foliage catches water that never reaches the ground.

‍Temperature control: Shade from trees can reduce the temperature of concrete by up to 19 degrees. This is an important property in a warmer climate with more frequent heat waves.

‍Health value: A Canadian study from 2015 showed that 10 trees in an urban quarter correspond to a health-promoting effect corresponding to the subjects being 7 years younger or receiving an increased annual income of £ 5 500. A recent study from Germany also showed that city trees reduce stress, lower blood pressure and put you in a better mood. The study, which was conducted in Leipzig by Dr. Melissa Marselle and her team from the University of Surrey, showed that those who live less than 100 meters from a tree use fewer antidepressant medications. They also found that the link was stronger in low-income areas and summed it all up by saying that "our findings suggest that urban trees can help reduce health inequalities".

And as if this were not enough, there is also money to both save and earn on city trees. In New York, for example, it has been estimated that their nearly 700,000 city trees provide savings of approximately $ 100 million each year, in the form of, among other things, reduced heating and cooling needs, improved air quality and fewer floods. In addition, there is an increased property value of 1-10%, depending on the size of the trees outside the house.

What´s not to like? Every new city tree is a triumph and part of the solution in the cities of the future!