The Socio-Economic and Environmental Imperatives of Trees

Due to environmental concern, this paper focuses attention on the imperative of trees to the environment and to man’s welfare on a sustainable basis. Using a systematic literature assessment, the study examines the environmental, socio-economic, and health-related contributions of trees in urban settings. Research has identified trees in urban cities as important landscaping elements with valuable benefits that promote socio-economic and environmental sustainability. The value of trees and plants in most cities is often overlooked as significant and valuable assets of the urban environment. This paper identifies that beyond their environmental and economic benefits, trees play a critical role in human health and wellbeing, influencing the overall quality of life in communities. However, some disbenefits of trees have been noted, whose costs are easier to quantify and can readily be managed by land administrators yet these drawbacks remain fewer than the potential benefits. Finally, the paper recommends that urban planners and developers incorporate trees on building sites and along streets, and further enlighten the public to develop a deeper interest in the environment, so as to harness the potential gains of trees in addressing environmental challenges associated with constructing energy-consuming buildings that disrupt macroclimatic equilibrium, particularly in urban areas that frequently exhibit higher mean temperatures than surrounding rural regions.