Trees: They are the things of fairy tales and childhood magic, of shady days and rustling wind. And now, it turns out they are also protectors of human health. The list of potential benefits of trees includes reduced preterm birth; improved childhood learning; enhanced cognition; lower rates of obesity; reduced hypertension, diabetes, and other cardio-metabolic conditions; and improved immune function.1,2 Trees protect against the health effects of climate change by cooling neighborhoods and reducing heat-related illness.3 Trees have even been linked to lower rates of violent crime and reduced Medicare spending due to improved overall health-especially in economically disadvantaged communities.4,5
Systemic racism through redlining
Unfortunately, access to the potential benefits of trees is not equal. Research shows that lower-income populations and Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) more often reside in neighborhoods with limited green space.6 This is particularly true in urban areas where maps of tree cover mirror decades-long redlining, the historical practice that prevented many BIPOC people from purchasing homes and building businesses. A lack of trees in historically redlined neighborhoods translates to significantly higher temperatures in these areas and an increase in heat-related illness among their residents.7
Call for social justice
Now, along with other forms of social justice, there are increasingly calls for tree equity-a movement to ensure that all people have access to green space and its potential health benefits. Achieving tree equity will not only involve planting hundreds of millions of trees in urban areas across the US in the coming decade but also an ongoing commitment to examining the structural issues that continue to lead to inequality.
The nursing profession should consider access to trees an essential aspect of health promotion and disease prevention. Major nursing documents including the International Council of Nurses Code of Ethics and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Future of Nursing 2020-2030 report call on nurses to be leaders in the fight for health justice. Including tree equity in our advocacy is a natural fit for our philosophy, which includes caring for the whole person in the context of community and environment. To join the movement for tree equity, we encourage NPs to:
* Learn about the incredible benefits of trees. Visit: http://www.fao.org/3/c0024e/c0024e.pdf
* Find out the tree equity score of urban areas where you and/or your patients live: http://www.americanforests.org/tools-research-reports-and-guides/tree-equity-sco
* Ask patients about neighborhood green space and inform and educate them about environmental health hazards related to summer heat and climate change.
* Become a champion for tree equity by planting trees, engaging stakeholders, and education and advocacy to maintain the urban tree canopy in perpetuity. National Earth Day, April 22nd, is a perfect day to begin!
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