I wrote this summary for my English 100 course on an article, “The Importance of Urban Forests” by Amy Fleming that discusses the impact nature has on urban areas. Given below is the revised version of the same:

The article, ‘The importance of urban forests: why money does grow on trees,’ by Amy Fleming (2016), explores the impact nature has on urban areas and tries to persuade readers to adopt a positive outlook towards growing trees in urban areas.

In the article, Fleming states that the total monetary benefit that arises from planting trees is around 120 million dollars a year, as calculated by the New York City Park department (3). Fleming also appeals to her readers by using science and data that shows, nature can directly influence a person’s empathy and altruism and those living away from nature may have heightened anxiety or depression (4). Fleming believes the “value we place on trees and nature is informed by childhood experience” (5) which demonstrates the necessity of trees in urban areas so children can grow up surrounded by them and learn to respect nature. 

Adding to her point, Fleming states, “Humans are drawn to trees by more than aesthetics. It can bring down cortisol levels in walkers, which means less stress” (3). A country can benefit a lot from its citizens if they have “green spaces” as they are “essential for [their] mental and physical health” (1).