For the love of trees

To encourage folk to visit their local forests, The Forestry Commission has come up with their top 10 Reasons to Love Trees.

We have a few particular favourites and have chosen our top 5 Reasons to Love Trees.

1. Trees filter and clean the air around us. By absorbing airborne pollution they boost oxygen levels. A single tree will produce enough oxygen for a family of four every single day.

2. Around 1,500 wildlife species are thought to rely on a single English oak tree, for breeding, feeding, resting, roosting, shelter and safety.

3. The estimated value to the economy of the ecosystem service provided by trees and woodland wildlife in the UK is £680 million.

4. So strong is the connection between trees and health and well-being that NHS trusts are being advised to see trees in the grounds of hospitals as a fundamentally important part of creating a positive healing environment for patients.

5. Not sun bathing but forest bathing! In Japan the health benefit of spending time in amongst the trees in the forests is so treasured that it has its own word, shinrinyoku, which literally means ‘forest bathing’.