Why Plant Native Trees and Shrubs?

July 1, 2001

Plants native to an area are adapted to local climate and soils and require no fertilizers and less water than many ornamental plants. They provide food, places to hide, and other habitat elements for wildlife. A healthy natural forest with plants in the canopy, shrub, and ground-cover layers and with a natural layer of organic debris on the forest floor will not produce any runoff, even under the most intense rainfall regime. Foliage helps block wind and noise, cools the air, cuts glare, traps dust and pollen, takes in carbon dioxide, releases oxygen, and captures rainfall, preventing much of it from running off as stormwater.