In an article published in Scientific Reports, a research team has found that there is a significant health benefit in having plentiful trees in a neighborhood.
The health benefits went beyond the psychological benefits that trees provide as scenery, demonstrating improved health in neighborhoods where trees were abundant.
Marc Berman of the University of Chicago, co-author for the study said, Controlling for income, age and education, we found a significant independent effect of trees on the street on health," It seemed like the effect was strongest for the public [trees]. Not to say the other trees don't have an impact, but we found stronger effects for the trees on the street."
The research worked with an immense dataset of urban, public trees within the city of Toronto numbering 530,000, which were categorized by location, species and diameter. Satellite measurements of non-public green space such as backyard trees were included in the data.
Researchers then looked at health records for more than 30,000 residents of Toronto, reporting on incidents of cancer, heart conditions, mental health problems, diabetes and self-perceptions of health.
The study compared the beneficial effect the trees had per city block, and found that having 10 more trees in a city block, on average, improves health perception in ways comparable to an increase in annual personal income of $10,000 and moving to a neighborhood with $10,000 higher median income or being 7 years younger."
The findings of the study were not limited to self-perceived health. Cardio-metabolic conditions were also improved when the number of trees was increased to 11 per city block.
The researchers were unable to pinpoint the exact method by which trees exert health improving benefits; however they suspect that the ability of trees to improve air quality plays a huge role.
In addition, there is a notable stress relieving component to being around trees and greenery that has a calming effect on people.
People have sort of neglected the psychological benefits of the environment," said Berman. And I think that's sort of gotten reinvigorated now, with these kinds of studies."
With the emergence of satellite technology, researchers are now able to access the green space in specific residential areas and correlate the findings with health databases.
An interesting find of the study was that public street trees had more of a beneficial effect than trees in private yards, leading to the conclusion that being more accessible to all residents in a given neighborhood" was the determining factor in why the public trees were more effective.
The study concluded with researchers saying they believe planting more trees in urban areas would be well worth the cost. Ten more trees in every block is about [a] 4% increase in street tree density in a dissemination area in Toronto, which seems to be logistically feasible," noted the researchers. I'd feel pretty confident to say to a municipality, increase the number of trees by 10 per block," said Berman.
For more information on the latest health news and research, please visit the [website](http://biomazingremedies.com).
