Positive effects or benefits of trees
Stefan Jung • 22. April 2025
In general trees are good for the environment and for us.
Not every tree species delivers the same. For instance, a Plane tree (e.g. Platanus acerifolia, german: Platane) in middle Europe has a lower possible basis for biodiversity as an Oak; like Quercus petraea (german: Traubeneiche) or Quercus robur, (german: Stieleiche).
Some of the possible advantages of trees are:
• Sequestering carbon from the surrounding air by producing oxygen via photosynthesis during the vegetation period
• Improving the micro-climate
• Reducing the windspeed
• Lower evaporation
• Lower erosion
• Delivering shadow
• Reducing the local temperature
• Pumping nutrients and water from deeper soil
• Improving the water balance
• Deciduous trees/ broadleaf trees deliver nutrients to the soil when the leaves have fallen
• Improving the local biodiversity, depending on the tree species and the local conditions, e.g. for birds, insects, fungi, mammals, plants, others like e.g. in mangroves
• Protection of climate extreme events
• Improving surrounding soils, e.g. in the agriculture-/ farming sector
• Tree specific fruits or nuts
• Aesthetic and recreational effects & benefits
• Producing wood by biochemistry
• Allelopathic effects, that are possible effects of the different biochemical produced substances, e.g. via odors
• … … …
Trees are vital elements of evolution.