HISTORIC BIG TREES
OF PETERS TOWNSHIP
RESIDENT
PARTICIPATION NEEDED
Thee Peters Township Environmental Quality Board
(EQB) would like to locate and record the location of the
Historic Big Trees of Peters Township--and need the help
of PT residents to do so. The EQB can be contacted to
identify, locate, measure, and keep a log of these trees.
If you think you have a historic, large tree—let us know.
Please email your tree information to Tom Gromek,
Project Coordinator at [email protected].
Decades—or in some cases—centuries, of natural air
cleaning are taking place. Trees are natural air cleaners
by removing carbon dioxide from the air and producing
oxygen. Also, particulates in the air can be trapped
on the leaves and branches, then washed off during
precipitation events and carried to the ground.
The roots of the trees hold the soil in place thus
reducing soil erosion. Soil erosion is the movement of
sediment from the soil surface and transferred down
slope eventually getting into streams. Sediment is
the largest water pollutant, by volume. Sediment fills
streams reducing the amount of water flow in streams
which can cause flooding due to reduced stream
capacity. Sediment clouds the streams reducing the
amount of sunlight in the water which reduces the
amount of oxygen in the water causing a detriment to
aquatic life—affecting plants, insects, fish, and other
aquatic life. Polluted water affects the drinkability for
both animals and humans alike. Since most drinking
water is derived from streams, polluted water means
more expensive treatment of the water for human
consumption.
The shade from trees can reduce the temperature in
your house by as much as 20 degrees, thus saving
energy by less use of air conditioning. A cooler, shaded
yard or outdoor space allows more pleasant use of the
outdoors—more fresh air.
Some of the larger trees have been providing these
benefits for decades or possibly centuries. There is
some historical significance for these trees as some
have been around longer than the United States has
been a country. Some of these trees have been shared
by family members for generations as your ancestors
have enjoyed some of the same benefits of these trees,
particularly those people whose family may have been
on the same property for generations.
The tree in this picture is estimated to be 350 years old.
To give some perspective, this tree was already over 100
years old when the United States became a country.
A Giant White Oak Tree in the Orchard Highlands Plan
12
PETERS TOWNSHIP