[ODF_Private_Forests] ODF News: Tired of high energy bills? Consider some well-placed trees.

[WEEKS Kevin]

Oregon Department of Forestry
NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- Major Media Distribution
 
November 24, 2008                                                                               Contact: Paul D. Ries
                                                                                                503.945.7391
                                                                                                Cynthia Orlando
                                                                                                503.945.7421
 
 
Tired of high energy bills? Consider some well-placed trees.
During these times of high energy costs and tightening budgets, home and business owners might like to remember the energy savings provided by trees.
 
Research has shown that trees can help reduce both our heating and cooling costs. They save energy by keeping homes cooler during the hotter months, and provide a windbreak for your home during the winter. Deciduous trees (trees that lose their leaves in the winter) are especially helpful because they not only provide cooling shade during the summer, they let in much-desired sunlight during Oregon's cooler winter months.
 
Trees block out winter’s frosty winds
Cold winter winds enter homes through small openings or carry heat away from the building's outer surfaces. Trees help lower energy consumption in the wintertime by blocking out wind. When planted on the north side of a home, evergreen trees with crowns extending to the ground and branches that keep their foliage during the winter make the most effective windbreaks. Douglas-fir, junipers, spruce, cedar and firs are some examples.
 
Strategically placed trees can be as effective as other energy saving home improvements, such as insulation, or the installation of energy-saving windows and doors.  This results in burning less fossil fuel for heating.
 
Using trees and landscaping to reduce utility costs becomes even more critical in Eastern and Southern Oregon, since summers tend to be hotter, and winters, colder, in those areas than in the Willamette Valley or the Oregon coast. Likewise, trees in general and conifers in particular are more effective in western Oregon for reducing stormwater runoff and associated taxpayer costs.
 
Trees keep us cool during hot summer months
Trees lower air temperatures by evaporating water in their leaves. Shade trees can make buildings up to 20 degrees cooler in the summer. Shade from trees reduces air conditioning needs, and makes non-air conditioned homes more comfortable. In fact, three large trees around a house can reduce air conditioning costs up to 30 percent.
 
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency's web site, planting trees and vegetation is a simple and effective way to decrease local surface and air temperatures. Strategic planting around homes and buildings directly cools the interior of homes and buildings, decreasing air conditioning costs and peak energy demand.
 
Shade trees offer their best benefits when you plant deciduous trees, which shed their leaves during winter, admitting sunlight in the colder months. During the hotter months of summer, they’ll provide shade and block heat from the sun.
Remember:
* Place your trees on the south and west sides of buildings; remember to provide room for the mature size of the tree. 
* A tree that will reach a medium to large size should be located 15 to 20 feet from the side of a house.
* Whenever possible, think about shading hard surfaces around your home like driveways, patios and sidewalks.
 
In addition to energy savings, trees and vegetation also improve our air quality, reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, decrease storm water runoff, improve community livability and increase property values. 
 
Winter pruning
Remember, winter is a good time to prune trees, but “tree topping” is a detrimental practice that damages both the health and value of landscape trees. Tree topping - the indiscriminate cutting back of tree branches to stubs - weakens trees, leaves trees vulnerable to insects and disease and shortens the life span of trees.
 
Many people mistakenly "top" trees because they grow into utility wires, interfere with views or sunlight, or simply grow so large that they worry the landowner. "Proper pruning can remove excessive growth without the problems topping creates," says ODF Urban Forester Paul Ries. "Topping creates hazard trees, but proper tree pruning creates healthy trees." If the trees on your property are in need of pruning but you’re unsure just how to go about it, contact a certified arborist in your area for assistance.
 
For more information on proper tree care, the popular publication ‘An Oregon Homeowner’s Guide to tree Care" may be downloaded from the Oregon Department of Forestry’s website at http://www.oregon.gov/ODF/URBAN_FORESTS/ucf_publications.shtml
 
If in doubt about what type of tree to plant, or how to pick the most suitable location, contact a certified arborist.  A list of certified arborists for hire is available at www.pnwisa.org
 
Tree care information is also available at the Oregon Department of Forestry’s website, at http://www.oregon.gov/ODF/UF 
 
 
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