Rx for saving lives: Planting lots of trees

Oak tree canopy in Ojai.

We knew that the more than 1,800 trees planted by Ojai Trees over the past 15 years are enhancing our lives. Now we hear we may be literally saving lives.

A recent study in Portland, Oregon has found a direct correlation between planting new trees and fewer people dying. The study followed the Portland nonprofit Friends of Trees’ planting of nearly 50,000 trees around the city over the past thirty years.

As described in a recent Washington Post story, the researchers from the U.S. Forest Service found that for each 100 trees planted in the city, there was roughly one fewer non-accidental death a year.

Trees heal us and yes, they may even save us. A growing body of research shows trees and nature bolster our health and resilience from illnesses including depression and high blood pressure. Not only that, but in an era of increasingly extreme heat waves, the shade and evaporative cooling that trees provide are key to keeping people alive.

We know that trees are important for absorbing carbon dioxide and reducing climate change. We also know that they filter air pollutants, create better neighborhoods for getting outside and doing physical activities. But even in already “green” neighborhoods, the researchers found that the link between planting trees and lowering death rates held.

We’re encouraged and inspired, and we hope you are too. Although the study states that the research is not definitive, we take it as a reason to plant even more green, for better and longer lives all around.

Click here to learn about our upcoming tree planting events.