You Can Clean the Water Just by Planting a Tree
Trees protect water quality, clean our air and provide wildlife habitat. One large tree can eliminate 5,000 gallons of polluted runoff each year, and well placed trees can help reduce energy costs by 15 to 35 percent.
Trees also enhance our quality of life, beautifying neighborhoods and highways, providing sound barriers and shade, and helping increase property values.
Click HERE for a neat tool that calculates the benefit trees can provide. You enter your zip code and the type and number of trees you want to plant. It will tell you how much energy the trees save, how much stormwater they soak up, how much air pollution they prevent and more!
Read here to find out what the Center for Watershed Protection and US Forest Service say about the role of trees in reducing stormwater runoff.
Free Trees, Rebates and other Programs:
Montgomery County has a Shade Canopy Tree Program. The County will install shade trees and even give them some after care.
Casey's Trees in DC offers up to $100 rebate for each tree you plant in DC.
The State of Maryland offers a $25 rebate for each tree planted in Maryland.
The DC government will plant a tree on your property for just $50 in their River Smart Homes program.
Photos by amyfry2000,1010uk