WHAT WE DO
Fields of Action
Plant-a-Tree is active in the following areas:
- Small and large scale tree planting and reforestation projects in cooperation with individuals, companies, municipalities and other entities
- Adoption of areas to be reforested
- Specialty sponsorship programs
- Providing information and awareness events for citizens
- Providing information regarding the offsetting of CO2 emissions through reforestation
For further information, please click on the link 'How I Can Help'.
Why plant more trees?
A. The benefits of urban forestry
The benefits arising from enriching an area with vegetation are manifold. To demonstrate, some of the positive features stemming from urban green spaces are the following:
- Regulation of the microclimate
- Absorption of carbon dioxide through the process of photosynthesis
- Production of oxygen
- Reduction of airborne pollutant emissions, caused by city transport means, as particles of harmful substances are imbibed by the leaves of trees, thereby neutralizing their polluting effect
- Tree leaves function as filters against solar radiation, helping to maintain lower temperatures within the urban community
- Reduction of noise, as the foliage of trees acts as a "barrier" for sound
- Prevention of urban runoff, mudslides and flooding
- Aesthetic improvement of the urban landscape
- Provision of a green haven for relief from the hectic pace of life in a city
B. Trees and the greenhouse effect
The existence of trees is essential in controlling the effects of global warming, as they absorb carbon dioxide through the process of photosynthesis. As conscientious citizens, we should be aware that is our duty to offset the emissions we produce every day, thereby prompting the reduction of our carbon footprint.
C. Choosing a tree
The types of trees which can be planted successfully in urban areas include the mulberry, the bitter orange, the plane, the judas, the pine, the olive, the maple and the hibiscus, among others. These trees help decidedly in the assimilation of carbon dioxide in cities, the absorption of particles from the atmosphere, the prevention of floods and the maintenance of the climate temperature at viable levels. Deciduous trees are elemental in regulating the atmospheric trace gas composition including tropospheric ozone concentrations because of their isoprene emissions. Moreover, their loss of leaves in winter allows for the sun's hot rays to warm the ground while their leaves in summer provide shade and cooler temperatures.