The City of Weyburn is taking registration now for volunteers to help out with Tatagwa Tree Day, being held on Saturday, August 12th, as part of the City's urban forestry program, through which hundreds of trees are planted each year.

Communications Coordinator Paige Tenbult shared with Discover Weyburn on the benefits of trees to urban areas, such as environmental improvements, aesthetic advancements, economic savings, and social benefits. 

"A lot of people will know that [trees] filter air pollution, and remove carbon from the atmosphere, but an interesting fact is that they also moderate the 'urban heat island effect'," she said, explaining that this means trees help to cool cities during the hot summer months, and can also extend the lifespan of sidewalks and roadways because urban areas typically have higher temperatures than rural areas. 

"Having an urban forestry program is really important for the maintenance of our community," she commented. 

Trees also reduce stormwater runoff, and, in fact, trees are an important part of stormwater management within many cities. 

"We don't have a lot of slopes or hills here, but they do help stabilize slopes and protect against erosion, and also increase biodiversity," told Tenbult. "We are very well aware that birds, animals, and insects use them for food and shelter, for nesting, and other things, but they also provide shelter for undergrowth, which is required for healthy soil."

Trees also provide a number of social and economic benefits, as well as physical and psychological well-being.

"Studies have shown that blood pressure and muscle tension are reduced significantly after seeing trees." 

She noted visual screening is another benefit, as trees provide privacy, or emphasize views and screen out objectional views that people may not want to have in their yards.

"[Trees] provide safety for pedestrians and road users. This might be an interesting one for people to find out, but evidence is suggesting that the presence of well defined trees on the roadside may actually lead drivers to exercise greater caution," Tenbult shared. 

Another perk is increased property values. 

"This will be one that a lot of our taxpayers are probably happy about. Trees are one of the few landscape investments that increase in value, so it can raise your property tax by as much as 15 percent if you have really well-established trees in your property."

While trees provide shade, shelter, wind protection, and visual screening, they also reduce harmful UV rays.

"They're just a wonderful environment to have in your community. It's welcoming, and the more trees, the better for everybody."

Read more about some tree replacement projects below in our related article links.

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