There is something cathartic about being in nature, seeing plants bloom and trees brighten and animals frolic. Not only is there an emotional connection to trees and general wildlife, but numerous studies have shown that the connection extends to mental improvement as well.
For instance, scientific records recorded between 1972 and 1981 regarding recovering cholecystectomy patients in a Pennsylvania hospital found that those individuals with views of nature had shorter hospital stays, fewer negative comments in nurses’ notes, and took fewer potent painkillers than those patients whose rooms looked out to brick walls.
Scientific Reports stated in a study published in July 2015 “that having 10 more trees in a city block, on average, improves health perception in ways comparable to an increase in annual personal income of $10,000 and moving to a neighborhood with $10,000 higher median income or being 7 years younger.” It added that having 11 more trees in a city block, on average, “decreases cardio-metabolic conditions in ways comparable to an increase in annual personal income of $20,000 and moving to a neighborhood with $20,000 higher median income or being 1.4 years younger.”
In January 2017 the American Institute of Biological Sciences reported numerous mental health benefits associated with trees, including economics associated with cost and anxiety.
“We demonstrate that of five neighborhood nature characteristics tested, vegetation cover and afternoon bird abundances were positively associated with a lower prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress,” the study reported. “Furthermore, dose–response modeling shows a threshold response at which the population prevalence of mental-health issues is significantly lower beyond minimum limits of neighborhood vegetation cover.”
The National Academy of Sciences reported in June 2015 that “a 90-min walk in a natural setting, decreases both self-reported rumination and neural activity in the subgenual prefrontal cortex, whereas a 90-min walk in an urban setting has no such effects on self-reported rumination or neural activity.” It also suggested that accessible natural areas within urban atmospheres are increasingly more important as urbanization increases.
Finally, there is a humanity as a whole. The U.S. Forest Services says that trees, which remove gaseous and particulate air pollutants, removed 17.4 million metric tons of air pollution across the United States in 2010, with human health effects valued at $6.8 billion dollars. Effects included the avoidance of more than 850 incidences of human mortality, along with 670,000 incidences of acute respiratory symptoms.
So, not only do trees look good but they also make you feel good. And their effects on the ecosystem are sometimes underestimated but should never be forgotten. Call Camelot Tree & Shrub today to make sure your trees are in the best possible shape.
