As a part of my English 100 course, I wrote a summary of this informative article, “The Importance of Urban Forests” by Amy Fleming. This article uncovers the hidden benefits of greenery in cities, and stresses why we should all be incorporating trees in our neighbourhoods. Please find the link to the article here:
In her article, “The Importance of Urban Forests,” Amy Fleming stresses the value of trees in urban life. She introduces the vast financial and medical benefits that come with growing these green giants in cities and how their dwindling numbers are affecting us negatively. While these “expensive ornaments” do not appear to make money, she reports that $120 million are saved each year in New York City, thanks to trees growing in their urban landscapes (qt pg 2). Cities that choose to neglect greenery face higher bills in air conditioning and heating; they have no natural way of filtering polluted air and can encounter more damages due to storms or flooding (pg 3). Fleming also argues that trees hold a significant impact on one’s mental health. She reports that exposure to trees helps lower stress, violence, and mental fatigue, all common symptoms in city dwellers (pg 4). She goes as far as to point out the number of deaths related to circulatory diseases is lower in neighborhoods with more trees, linking the lives of humans directly to the number of plants they encounter (pg 5). Through these facts, Fleming enforces why trees are so important to the financial and physical well being of city dwellers.