美国城市每年正在失去3600万棵树。你可以这样阻止它

If you're looking for a reason to care about tree loss, this summer's record-breaking heat waves might be it. Trees can lower summer daytime temperatures by as much as 10 degrees Fahrenheit, according to a recent study.

如果你正在寻找一个关心树木消失的理由，可能是今年夏天创纪录的热浪。根据最近的一项研究，树木可以将夏季白天的温度降低10华氏度。

But tree cover in US cities is shrinking. A study published last year by the US Forest Service found that we lost 36 million trees annually from urban and rural communities over a five-year period. That's a 1% drop from 2009 to 2014.

但美国城市的树木覆盖率正在萎缩。美国林业局去年发表的一项研究发现，在五年的时间里，我们每年从城市和农村社区流失3600万棵树木。从2009年到2014年下降了1%。

If we continue on this path, "cities will become warmer, more polluted and generally more unhealthy for inhabitants," said David Nowak, a senior US Forest Service scientist and co-author of the study.

如果我们继续沿着这条路走下去，“城市将变得更温暖，污染更严重，居民也将普遍更不健康，”美国林务局资深科学家、该研究的合著者戴维•诺瓦克表示。

Nowak says there are many reasons our tree cover is declining, including hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, insects and disease. But the one reason for tree loss that humans can control is sensible development.

诺瓦克说，我们的树木覆盖率下降有很多原因，包括飓风、龙卷风、火灾、昆虫和疾病。但是人类能够控制树木减少的一个原因是合理的发展。

More than 80% of the US population lives in urban areas, and most Americans live in forested regions along the East and West coasts, Nowak says.

诺瓦克说，80%以上的美国人口生活在城市地区，大多数美国人生活在东西海岸的森林地区。

"Every time we put a road down, we put a building and we cut a tree or add a tree, it not only affects that site, it affects the region."

“每次我们修路、盖楼、砍树植树，不仅影响到那个地点，还影响到这个地区。”

The study placed a value on tree loss based on trees' role in air pollution removal and energy conservation.

该研究基于树木在消除空气污染和节能方面的作用，对树木的损失进行了评估。

The lost value amounted to $96 million a year.

每年损失的价值达9600万美元。

Nowak lists 7 benefits trees provide to society:

诺瓦克列举了树木给社会带来的7个好处:

Heat reduction

减少热量

Air pollution reduction

减少空气污染

Water quality improvement

提高水质量

Noise reduction

降噪

Protection from UV radiation

防止紫外线辐射

Improved human health

改善人类健康

Wildlife habitat

野生动物栖息地

How you can help stop tree loss：

你如何帮助阻止树木的流失：

Protect what you have: Nowak says the first step is caring for the trees on your own property. "We think we pay for our house, and so we must maintain it. But because we don't pay for nature, we don't need to. And that's not necessarily true."

保护你所拥有的东西：诺瓦克说，第一步是在自己的土地上保护树木。“想想，我们付了房子的钱，所以我们必须维护它。但是因为我们不为自然买单，我们也不需要这样做。但事实未必如此。”

Prune the dead limbs out of your trees: If they're small enough, do it yourself or hire a company. The risk of limbs damaging your house is significantly lowered when there's tree upkeep, Nowak said.

把树上的枯枝剪掉:如果它们很小，你可以自己动手或者雇一家公司。诺瓦克说，树木有了保养，你的房子被树枝损坏的风险就大大降低了。

Notice where your trees may be in trouble: Such as when branches are losing leaves and breaking or when mushrooms are growing at the base or on the trees. You can also hire an arborist or tree canopy expert to assess the health of your trees on an annual basis.

注意你的树可能在什么地方出了问题: 比如树枝什么时候落叶、折断，或者什么时候树的底部或树上会长蘑菇。你也可以聘请一位树艺家或树冠专家，每年评估你的树木的健康状况。

Don't remove old trees if it's not necessary: Instead, try taking smaller actions like removing branches. "It takes a long time for these big trees to get big: 50 to 100 years. And once they're established, they can live a long time. But taking a big tree out and saying 'we'll replant,' there's no guarantee small trees will make it, and it will take a very long time to grow."

如果没有必要，不要砍掉老树:相反，试着采取一些较小的行动，比如砍掉树枝。“这些大树需要很长时间才能长成大树:50到100年。一旦它们建立起来，就能活很长时间。但是，砍掉一棵大树，然后说‘我们要重新植树’，并不能保证小的树就能成活，而且它需要很长时间才能生长。”

Educate yourself about trees and get involved: Many cities have tree ordinances that seek to protect very old, significant trees. You can get involved by attending city meetings. You can also help your city plant trees by joining local nonprofit groups.

多了解树木并参与其中:许多城市都有树木条例，旨在保护非常古老、重要的树木。你可以参加城市会议。你也可以加入当地的非盈利组织帮助你所在的城市植树。