Climate control | Trees lower temperatures by shading surfaces, dissipating heat through evaporation, and controlling the air movement responsible for advective heat. | Oke (1980); Dwyer et al. (1992); Nowak and McPherson (1993); Kjelgren and Montague (1998); Montague and Kjelgren (2004) |
Soil and water quality | In the case of water, trees help control stormwater, raise water quality, and help slow erosion. | Huang et al. (1992); McFarland (1994); Dwyer (1995); Bartensa et al. (2008) |
Air quality | As trees reduce summertime temperatures, they also help raise the quality of air in a city. Trees serve as physical barriers to air-carrying pollutants and through the sequestration of carbon, help reduce the greenhouse effect. Through the rustling of leaves, trees mask unwanted noises and absorb sound. Trees also modify humidity. | Pesson (1978); Huang et al. (1987); Oke (1989); Smith (1990); CEPAL (1991); Dwyer et al. (1992); McFarland (1994); Moretón (1996); Jo (2001); Nowak and Crane (2002); Codina and Barón (2003); Fang and Ling (2003); Nowak et al. (2004); Bucur (2006); Nowak et al. (2006a); Nowak et al. (2006b) |