There's a new tree study out that suggests promising results: plant more trees, and healthier babies will be born!
This study was performed in Portland, Oregon (a marvelous city - I lived near there for a summer when I was doing my nursery internship). The researchers checked out the trees around the houses of nearly 5700 women who had a baby in 2006 and 2007. As OregonLive.com notes:
"For each 10 percent increase in tree coverage within about 50 yards of a home, the rate of undersized newborns decreased by 1.42 per 1000 births. As it stands, about 70 of every 1,000 newborns in Portland are small for gestational age."
While this seems like an odd correlation, it's not so unusual. As the article mentions, stress during gestation can cause problems like a lower birthweight. Trees and other parts of nature have been shown in studies to reduce stress, so voila! I also personally think it doesn't hurt that more trees = more oxygen & less pollution, and a healthier environment for a developing baby.
More studies will be needed to see if the correlation noted here of more trees does, in fact, lead to healthier babies. However, I think every excuse to plant a new tree is a good one. Arbor Day is on its way for many of the states, and many communities give out free trees. Plant some in your neighborhood and it just might mean some healthier babies are born.
What do you think of this study - do you think more trees can really lead to healthier babies?
A disclaimer - don't worry, the baby in the picture is fake. Don't do this with live babies! :)
Image by country_boy_shane via Flickr 
Welcome back to your regularly scheduled Mystery Monday! Gideon was on the right track for last week's tree. He said it was the Malagasy palm (Dypsis madagascariensis), which is closely related to this tree. It was the Areca palm (Dypsis lutescens). Good job!
Your clues for this week:
- This tree is native to South America and the Caribbean.
- A common name comes from the fact that the round fruit resemble something you place into a weapon and makes a similar sound when it cracks.
- The flowers & fruit grow on the trunk.
Can you name this week's tree?
Image by Zaggy J. via Flickr
Welcome back to Mystery Monday! It's been a bit hectic these past few weeks with the holidays, hasn't it? Mystery Monday is on Tuesday this week but will be back on track next week.
As for your clues this week:
- I've started working on a new gallery - can you find it? This picture is there :)
- This tree is great as a houseplant since it removes pollutants from the air.
- The country of origin is Madagascar.
Can you name this mystery tree?
Image by via I'm excited - there's an opening for a Pruning & Grafting Contributing Writer here at About.com:
The Contributing Writer will work with the Trees & Shrubs Guide to outline which articles to cover and will work independently to publish 12 pieces of content each month. The content should encompass all types of pruning & grafting and focus heavily on fruit trees; proper pruning & grafting methods; tools needed to prune or graft; when to prune or graft; and pruning considerations based on types of trees and shrubs.
In addition, the Contributing Writer will provide information on glossary terms; pruning requirements for individual trees and shrubs; propagation methods; and reviews of books and other media on pruning and grafting.
I look forward to working with the person chosen. About.com is a great place to work. If you are interested, you can find more information and a link for applying to be a Contributing Writer. Just look in the Home & Garden section of the topics for "Pruning & Grafting". Good luck!
