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You should plant trees as often as you can. You can go carbon neutral by planting twenty trees a year. If that's not a good enough reason, you can plant them to increase the energy-efficiency of your home or use them to reduce runoff.
Runoff pollution is a major contributor to the decrease of water quality and is an often overlooked environmental problem. A single medium-sized tree can filter over 2000 gallons of water a year. The water is then put back into the water cycle via evapotranspiration. Planting a tree can keep our water clean and drinkable.
How to Plant Trees to Reduce Runoff
Evergreen or Deciduous?
Evergreens are better at preventing runoff pollution that deciduous trees. Evergreens never lose their green and, therefore, they never stop transpiring. If you are planting a tree for shear runoff prevention, then an evergreen is definitely for you.
However, one of the best ways to keep runoff pollution from running off of things like cement and buildings is by covering it with a tree canopy. Deciduous trees are better at creating an overhead canopy on cement areas, but always plant trees at least two feet away from cement and five feet from buildings. Vines might be a better option in some cases.
And if you are planting trees to save energy in your home. Deciduous should go on the south and east side and evergreens should go on the north and east side.
Another case for deciduous trees is that it creates more tree litter. Leaves and branches are great at impeding the flow of runoff. Roots (present in evergreens as well) also help to break up the soil and further retard runoff.
Things to Remember About Planting a Tree
Trees are not rain gardens. They are not as hardy. If you use a water catchment system to divert water to a tree, the tree may die.
Check for overhead wires before planting a tree and remember to check with your neighbor if the tree is close to his or her property line. And if you do plant a deciduous tree near cement, you risk inciting a tree root-cement conflict in the future.
More on Trees:
How Green is Your Garden?
How to Go Green: Gardening
4 Ways to Plant Trees for Under Ten Bucks
How to Plant a Young Tree
Low tech Tips: Be Cool and Plant A Tree
Got a tip or a post idea for us to write about on Planet Green? Email pgtips (at) treehugger (dot) com.
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