A couple of days ago while in a meeting, one of the participants mentioned about strengthening preventive approaches in Universal Health Coverage which attracted many reactions from the audience. One main point I took home was ‘The role of trees in preventive healthcare’.
Here are some of my thoughts, from public health point of view;
- Trees control Air pollution
Trees play a major role in regulation the ‘particulates in the air’. This works by trapping the dust, gases and other pollutants in the air. It does also release oxygen which is essential for our health.
According to WHO (2016), 26% of respiratory infection deaths are associated with air pollution. Therefore, the highly populated urban areas with no trees increases chances of people contracting respiratory infection resulting from industrial gases, vehicles emission etc. In terms of impacts on human health, trees in urban areas are substantially more important than rural trees due to their proximity to people.
In a journal, Environmental Pollution, a forester Dave Nowak and colleagues found that trees prevented 850 human deaths and 670,000 cases of acute respiratory symptoms in 2010 alone. There is no doubt as to why we need to plant and grow more trees, they are highly beneficial to our health.
- Trees reduce Flooding.
We all know the impacts associated with floods. From people displacement to outbreaks of water related disease and malnutrition. Without trees, rain runs off soil and into rivers and streams, raising the water level. Trees help keep soil in place and their roots soak up water thus reducing erosion and anchoring top soil. It has been observed that trees especially planted along the banks of rivers play a major role in preventing floods during rainy seasons.
Trees play a big role in lessening damage from flooding in cities as well. Rainwater which lands on trees either evaporates to the air or drips down to the ground below, where it can soak into the soil. Surface water from nearby areas can also flow into the permeable area around the trees, which further increases the amount of water that can soak away and reduces demand on storm water drains.
In general, the more trees are in an area, the more pollution those trees remove