Why are Lawns Important – Benefits of Lawns Often Overlooked
As a society we tend to take the benefits of grass for granted, says James B Beard Ph.D., one of America’s leading turf experts and the chief scientist at the International Sports Turf Institute.
Aesthetically, lawns enhance the quality of life, contribute to social harmony and community pride, increase property values and compliment other landscape plants.
Across America, nearly 30 million acres of lawns have sprung back to life, providing a soft landing for kids at play, a blanket for families to picnic and a cushion for bare feet to roam. The same important benefits stretch worldwide.
Beard notes, “Turfgrasses have been utilized by humans to enhance their environment for more than 10 centuries. The complexity and comprehensiveness of these environmental benefits that improve our quality-of-life are just now being quantitatively documented through research.”
The scientific evidence clearly shows that a healthy lawn is good for the environment. “Because it’s around us every day, people don’t think about the fact that a healthy turf generates oxygen for improved air quality,” says Beard.
“Most homeowners don’t realize noise and air pollution are reduced in most suburban areas because the grass ecosystem serves as a natural filter for the environment.”
Here are just a few of the many additional environmental benefits Beard and other scientists report. Lawns provide excellent soil erosion control.
They improve recharge and quality protection of groundwater and provide flood control.
They enhance entrapment and biodegradation of synthetic organic compounds.
They absorb and sequester carbon dioxide gases.
They bring substantial urban heat dissipation which results in temperature moderation.
Lawns contribute to home security as well, providing high visibility zones that deter potential intruders and open green spaces that serve as a firebreak to reduce fire hazards.
For these reasons….and so many more…lawns ARE important.
This information provided by The Lawn Institute.
