Celebrating National Tree Week

It’s more than 50 years since the first National Tree Week was celebrated in the United Kingdom. The celebration started in 1973 and was initially called Plant a Tree in ’73.

The aim of the campaign was to plant as many trees as possible in response to the Dutch elm disease that killed many elm trees in the UK. Although the National Tree Week celebration is more enriching and encompassing now, the celebration’s core remains the same. It is a celebration of the beauty and importance of trees in our environment, their power as tools in the fight against climate change, and a celebration of a greener future we can achieve by planting more trees.

The annual celebration usually takes place in November to signal the winter tree-planting season between November and March. Visit The Tree Council website to keep up-to-date with events.

During this time, people are being asked to get involved by planting a tree in a pot or garden to organising community events.

5 Reasons Why We Love Trees 

The importance of trees in the ecosystem cannot be overemphasised. Trees are not only beautiful to look at, but they are also essential for life. Here’s why trees are essential to life on planet Earth:

Trees Remove Excess Carbon

Trees remove excess carbon dioxide from our atmosphere and convert it into oxygen for us to breathe. According to the Arbor Day Foundation, a mature tree will absorb more than 48 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in one year. In fact, it is estimated that one tree could absorb around a tonne of CO2 over a lifetime of 100 years. The absorbed carbon dioxide stored in their woods helps slow global warming, thus keeping climate change under control.

Trees Protect Soil

The tree’s root system helps to bind the soil to prevent movement, reduce the risk of soil erosion, and aid the soil in absorbing water. The canopies of the trees soften the impact of rainfall and wind, thereby reducing erosion and the blowing away of soil. While doing all this, the tree also reduces the amount of water in the soil by absorbing rainfall and releasing it back into the atmosphere.

Trees Prevent Flooding

Trees allow the soil to absorb water. Both the living and decaying roots of trees and leaf mulch enable the soil to be more porous and absorb more water. Trees reduce the speed at which rainwater hits rivers, allowing the excess water to flow away. There are examples of governments planting trees to control flooding all across the globe.

Trees Provide Habitat

Trees provide crucial habitats for much of the UK’s wildlife. A single tree can be home to beetles, spiders, squirrels and birds. With animals such as badgers and foxes using trees as cover. An oak tree, one of the UK’s best-known species, has been found to be home to as many as 500 different species of insects, lichen and fungi.

Trees Clean The air

Trees clean the air by catching tiny particles on their leaf surfaces. Fine particulate matter that can easily penetrate the human respiratory system is trapped in the waxy, hairy leaves of trees. A recent study found that certain tree species are unexpectedly efficient in scrubbing toxic particles from the air, acting as air filters.

Another meaningful way that trees improve air quality is by reducing outdoor temperatures and the need for conventional air conditioning units in warmer climates. Less demand for energy generation will result in fewer pollutants emitted, lower greenhouse gases, and a lower level of carbon in our atmosphere. Similarly, the cooling effect of the evaporation of water through leaves and from the soil is crucial during severe heat waves.

What more can we say? Trees are amazing, and they need to be celebrated.

Looking to Be Part of the Celebration?

We’ve got you covered; our extensive range of eco-friendly promotional products & corporate gifts are exciting, innovative, and made exclusively for any business that cares about the environment and sustainability.

As specialists in branded seeds, we supply products with tree seeds or packaging that’s custom printed with a tree theme or cut into a tree-shape. 

If you are keen to understand how you can include a tree in your next campaign, get in touch and call us on 01753 644 588

Please download your free copy of the Sow Easy Eco-friendly Promotional Product Catalogue today.

 

Happy National Tree Week!