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Trees have many environmental benefits.

1. They breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen.
2. Provide habitat for birds and other wildlife.
3. Help to reduce ozone levels in urban areas.
4. Reduce urban runoff and erosion by storing water and breaking the force of rain as it falls.
5. Absorb sound and reduce noise pollution.
6. Provide shade to lower heat buildup, especially on ashpalt surrounds.
   

These benefits are maximized once a tree is mature, which takes a number of years.

Proper planting, pruning and care of a new or established tree should give you a strong and healthy tree for many years. Improper tree care, however, can drastically shorten the life of a tree and wastes the time and money you invested in raising it to maturity.

Tree care or maintenance is often best done by a qualified professional. Reputable companies will perform tree work properly and safely.

Trees and shrubs in your backyard can be home to many different types of wildlife. Trees and shrubs also can reduce your heating and cooling costs, help clean the air, add beauty and color, provide shelter from the wind and the sun, and add value to your home.

Choose a tree or shrub that will provide enjoyment for you and that fits your landscape.

Trees, like all other living things, have a typical life expectancy. Many trees in your neighborhood may only be expected to live for about 15-20 years, while some will be good for 60 years or more. As a tree startes to deteriorate, it may grow noticeably less leaves as before or, in some circumstances, will simply blow over in a strong wind, or when covered in snow, ice or drenched in rain.

Another common reason for tree removal is disease. There are many different diseases and insects that will literally eat away at your trees.

Here you will find some tips about the many things you can do to reduce waste and conserve resources from caring for you lawn and garden equipment, to greenscaping.

1. Use food scraps, yard trimmings, and other organic waste to create a compost pile. Compost is a rich soil amendment that can help increase water retention, decrease erosion, and replace chemical fertilizers.
2. Don't over-fertilize. A slow-release organic fertilizer applied once in the fall is sufficient for most lawns.

You’ve got insects or pests, and you want to control them with a dependable pest control method that does not contain chemical pesticides.

Non-chemical pest control methods really work, and they have many advantages:

1. Compared to chemical treatments, non-chemical pest or insect control methods are generally effective for longer periods of time.
2. Non-chemical pest controls are less likely to create hardy insect populations that develop the ability to resist pesticides.
3. Many non-chemical pest controls can be used with fewer safeguards, because they

Approximately 85 percent of the population will develop an allergic reaction if exposed to poison ivy, oak or sumac.

The cause of the rash, blisters, and infamous itch is urushiol (pronounced oo-roo-shee-ohl), a chemical in the sap of poison ivy, oak and sumac plants. Because urushiol is inside the plant, brushing against an intact plant will not cause a reaction.

Poison ivy, oak and sumac are most dangerous in the spring and summer, when there is plenty of sap, the urushiol content is high, and the plants are easily bruised.

The best tip for removing weeds or grubs in your lawn is prevention rather than cure. Avoiding the need to use weed killer or grub killer is not only environmentally friendly but will aslo save you money.

Although difficult to control completely, lawn weeds and grubs can be kept to a minimum with a little extra work.

There are many species of mosquitoes in the United States. Mosquitoes have always been a nuisance, but until recently, they seldom posed a serious health threat in non-malarial areas. That changed, however, with the arrival and proliferation of West Nile virus, a disease spread by mosquito bites which has become permanently established in the western hemisphere over the past 10 years.

Standing water is the mosquito nursery. Mosquitoes can hatch in a week or less, in as little as a half-inch of water.

Weeds are generally defined as any plant that is undesired and out of place in your garden.