Town greenlights new program in effort to rescue diseased and dying trees: 'It's basically creating an economy'

The town of Andover, Massachusetts, has plans to create healthier forests through a program that will focus on cutting diseased and dying trees throughout a 253-acre urban forest, reported the Eagle-Tribune, a regional publication.

After removing these trees, located in the Bald Hill-Wood Hill forest, Andover's initiative involves plans to plant new hardwood trees. Together, these actions will help the forest build resilience as the climate changes, explained the Eagle-Tribune.

Currently, the town's forests are struggling due to invasive species and canopy trees that stunt younger trees' growth. Often, natural events like storms or wildfires can help manage this problem by creating clearings for young trees to grow, the publication explained. However, many forests throughout the region have not dealt with these types of disturbances since the 1900s — leading to issues like tree fungus and invasive insects.

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"The forest is paying for its own health," Andover conservation land manager Michael Murray told the Eagle-Tribune. "It's basically creating an economy that will benefit the forest."

Forests help sustain our daily lives by helping to provide clean air, water, and food. In fact, the ecosystem services provided by the world's forests could be worth as much as $16.2 trillion annually, according to the United Nations.

Plus, forests and other green spaces can support our mental well-being. For instance, one study correlated long-term exposure to green spaces to a reduced risk of anxiety and depression, while another study suggested that spending as little as 10 minutes in nature can help adults who are coping with mental illness.

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Forests also play a critical role in mitigating rising global temperatures, as they serve as carbon sinks, storing twice the amount of this planet-warming gas as they release.

The new initiative in Andover is one of many that aims to create healthier forests around the globe. For instance, Ecosia is a search engine that plants trees powered by user searches. So far, it's already planted 200 million trees across the globe. Even individuals can take action, like a Brazilian couple who planted more than two million trees in the Amazon over two decades.