Arturo, Peary, Petunia, Penelope, Jeffrey, Georgia, Lucius, and Lilly

These are the names that my silly family have picked for the trees we have planted so far this year at Phrog and Munkey Folk Ranch.

"How many people think twice about a leaf? Yet the leaf is the chief product and phenomenon of Life: this is a green world, with animals comparatively few and small, and all dependent upon the leaves. By leaves we live. Some people have strange ideas that they live by money. They think energy is generated by the circulation of coins. But the world is mainly a vast leaf-colony, growing on and forming a leafy soil, not a mere mineral mass: and we live not by the jingling of our coins, but by the fullness of our harvests". - Patrick Geddes

I love planting trees so I thought I would do some research and find out the top 5 reasons trees are a benefit and I was surprised at what I found.

1. The first one is pretty obvious Clean Air. Every list I looked at had clean air as the number one benefit of trees. Trees remove particulates from the air and people who live in areas where trees are prevalent are more healthy than people who live in areas where trees have disappeared. Tree provide oxygen to living organisms and are often referred to as the "lungs of the planet".

2. Clean Water - Approximately 2/3 of the water supply in the United States is filtered through and stored in forests around the country. Urban water systems do not need to do a large amount of filtering because the forests water ways do such a good job.

3. Carbon sequestration or Carbon Dioxide Removal - the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to slow down and remove pollution in the atmosphere which in turn will slow global warming. One tree can absorb as much as 48 lbs. per year. Think about how much that is over a trees lifetime.

4. Wildlife Habitat - Wildlife use trees for food, shelter, nesting, and mating. These habitats support the incredible variety of living things on the planet, known as biodiversity. By protecting trees, we also save all the other plants and animals they shelter.

5. Atmosphere - Areas that have trees create an atmosphere of calm and quiet. Think about your last walk through a grove of trees, a park or a forest. The surroundings bring you to a quiet serenity that can boost your mental health and boost your cognitive ability. So the next time you need to calm your brain down, consider taking a walk in the woods.

I have planted some fruit trees on the Phrog and Munkey Folk Ranch this Spring and hope to continue planting more and more trees as we build the cabins and create a peaceful environment. I hope that my little bit of planting will continue to help and heal our planet.

If you would like to contribute a tree shoot us an e-mail at Phrogandmunkey@gmail.com and we will work out the details!