This is a summary I wrote for English 100 on the article “The importance of urban forests: why money really does grow on trees”.
In the article “The importance of urban forests: why money really does grow on trees” (2016), Amy Fleming reports the evidence behind the economical, social, and societal benefits of trees in municipal areas. The author claims that millions of dollars can be saved as evident in New York City (6) using greenery alone to reduce the cost of energy and improving air quality with trees cutting the usage of air conditioning by 30% due to them being capable of cooling cities between 2C and 8C, and being capable of filtering fine particles of pollutants in the air (5). Regarding the social benefits, Fleming reports on the statements of public health expert William Bird. According to Bird, “In areas with more trees, people get out more, they know their neighbours more, they have less anxiety and depression.” (qtd. in Fleming 9). Bird’s point is that it is beneficial for communities’ overall wellbeing, mental and physical. Society requires future generations to further expand our knowledge in the world, Bird states, “that each generation will pass on less experience of the natural environment” (qtd. in Fleming 9). Basically, Bird is saying that society will be disconnected from nature in the future due to a lack of forestry which will hinder impending environmental developments.