Ever wondered why parks are such an important part of most communities? Aside from offering recreation and green space, parks also offer an abundance of trees. What can trees do? Believe it or not, trees are paramount in removing a wide variety of toxic pollutants from the air. Air pollution runs the risk of increasing the risk of certain cancers and can boast an adverse effect on children, the elderly, and those with underlying respiratory issues. Pollution can also reduce the distance you can see on a clear day and increase the overall mortality rate in polluted cities.

Just a very small number of city parks or rural parks can make a big difference to air pollution. In fact, it can be the biggest factor in combating air pollution altogether. In Atlanta, a city known for not having much green space, they found that by planting trees, they could remove 19 million pounds of pollutants from the air each year. The more trees a park has the better the odds it has of reducing air pollution and helping citizens to stay healthy.