Forests Matter

There are numerous reasons why forests matter and why ease of accessibility to forests and nature matter. These articles begin to scratch the surface of why Nordson Green Earth Foundation is working to improve tree equity throughout the Chicagoland area.

Pertinent Articles on Urban Forests and Climate Change

Urban forests may store more carbon than we thought, study finds

By Barbara Moran. WBUR, Boston's NPR news station. February 16, 2022

"these scruffy edges are surprisingly good at pulling carbon dioxide out of the sky, and storing it underground."

Preserve Visitor Trends in Pandemic Times

By Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. December 2, 2021

"A surge in visitors and use of DuPage forest preserves that started during the pandemic is showing no signs of slowing down."

A cool idea for low-income urban areas hard hit by warming climate: More trees

By Alex Brown. The Washington Post. July 12, 2021

"Trees are nature’s air conditioners"

The climate crisis haunts Chicago’s future. A Battle Between a Great City and a Great Lake

By Dan Egan. New York Times. July 7, 2021.

"In fact, the speed and uncertainty of the changes underscore how Chicago, in some crucial ways, is perhaps more immediately exposed to the dangers of global warming than cities on the ocean."

Opinion | Since When Have Trees Existed Only for Rich Americans?

New York Times. June 30, 2021

"Trees protect cities from extreme heat. But in most places, only the rich enjoy them."

Why 'Tiny Forests' are Popping Up in Big Cities

By Elizabeth Hewitt. National Geographic - June 22, 2021

"Community forests the size of a basketball court can make an outsized difference, providing shade, attracting plants and animals, and even storing a bit of carbon."

For Tree Equity and Climate Change, How many Urban Trees Do We Need?

American Forests Report 2021

"Trees also help slow climate change. Our urban forests are responsible for almost one-fifth of the country’s captured and stored carbon emissions."

How Decades of Racist Housing Policy Left Neighborhoods

New York Times. August 24, 2020

"But the redlining maps, economists have found, deepened patterns of racial inequality in cities nationwide in ways that reverberated for decades"

Racist Housing Practices From The 1930s Linked To Hotter Neighborhoods Today

NPR. January 14, 2020

"In a study of 108 urban areas nationwide, the formerly redlined neighborhoods of nearly every city studied were hotter than the non-redlined neighborhoods, some by nearly 13 degrees."

Understanding Nature and Its Cognitive Benefits

By Kathryn E. Schertz, Marc G. Berman. Current Directions in Psychological Science. Volume 28, Issue 5, 2019.

"This article describes empirical research on the cognitive benefits of interacting with natural environments and several theories that have been proposed to explain these effects."

Urban Forests for Healthier Cities: Policy, Planning, Regulations, and Institutional Arrangements

Learning Guide, Cities4Trees

"In many regions, urban forests are the most extensive, functional, and visible form of green infrastructure in cities"

The Power of Trees

By Tina Prow. The Illinois Steward. Volume 7 Issue 4. Winter 1999.

"I think that through this research, I have become convinced that trees are really an important part of a supportive, humane environment. Without vegetation, people are very different beings."

Opinion: The IPCC report is clear: nothing short of transforming society will avert catastrophe

Paul Vallance, The Guardian, August 9, 2021

"....anthropogenic climate change is real, present and lasting: it is now unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land to an unprecedented degree, with effects almost certain to worsen through the coming decades.."