Amy Fleming ’s article, “The importance of urban forests: why money really does grow on trees,” explains why trees are an essential part of urban communities and how educating ourselves on nature and its gifts will allow for better healthy living. The author reports that with the constant developments in urban areas and the faulty belief that trees are merely “expensive ornaments,” has cause American elm, and other types of trees, to become scarce (2). Fleming makes a clear point on how trees “reduce heating energy use by a further 20-50%”, “increase the value of the property by 20%” and “[improve] air quality” (2). Fleming recognizes that being surrounded by nature is also great for your mental health and sets a welcoming tone to neighbourhoods (4). The author highlights that many residents and advocacy groups worldwide have begun to realize the impact on the economy of not having trees in urban environments (1). For example, Fleming explains that there are “tree advocacy groups in Malaysia, India, and the Central African Republic,” that are hoping to restore and repair their communities (2). Forests in urban areas need to be protected and restored as they are slowly vanishing and are a highly important part of the world we live in.
Article Reference:
Fleming, Amy. “The Importance Of Urban Forests: Why Money Really Does Grow On Trees”. The Guardian, 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/oct/12/importance-urban-forests-money-grow-trees. Accessed 13 Nov 2020.