HOW DOES POLLUTION AFFECT THE GROWTH OF TREES AND PLANTS?
Today we enjoy the benefits of modern science and technology in every phrase of our daily lives. Our homes, transportation, food, clothing, entertainment, recreation, plus many more, incorporate techniques undreamed of a few decades ago. But we pay a serious price--environmental pollution. Unfortunately, man's incessant search for faster, bigger, better, more versatile products has meant dirty air, chemically poisoned water and damaged soil.
Pollution is a complex byproduct of our modern world, for which no simple solutions exist. It affects the air, the soil and the water. And, unhappily, it affects plants and trees--some so severely that they die.
Most of the polluting gases and particles man puts into the air come from burning processes. We burn fuels in countless ways: in our homes for heat and cooking; in the engines of cars, trucks, buses and airplanes; in factories and garbage and trash disposal plants. This burning or combustion releases hydrocarbons and nitrogen dioxide fumes and particles which injure plants and trees. The gooey stuff clings to foliage, suffocating new growth and keeping moisture and sunlight out. Some trees and shrubs are more resistant to the effects than others, but all suffer.
Plant life is also damaged where the soil has been polluted with too many chemical pesticides and fertilizers. In nature, certain bacteria decay wastes in the soil, providing for the presence of nitrates, phosphates and other nutrients. Although fertilizers add extra nutrients to the soil, sometimes large amounts of fertilizers decrease the ability of bacteria to function naturally. Pesticides may also harm bacteria and other helpful organisms in the soil.
If you live in a city, you probably have trees and plants enough to know how sooty and grimy they get. Fxequent rains help clean the foliage, but some plant life acquires a clinging coat of grime even rainfall won't remove. You can help by squirting all foliage frequently with a harsh spray from the hose.
Pollution is a tremendous problem, but individuals can help by electing people to government office who favor sensible controls on fuel consumption. We can also be conservation-minded-=walking or riding a bike instead of driving, putting on an extra sweater instead of turning up the heat, collecting materials for recycling and making do with used items instead of rushing out to buy new ones.
Healthy plant life is so vital to all life processes that no sacrifice would be excessive in order to preserve it. Fortunately, research is constantly in progress to discover cleaner, more effective ways of maintaining our modern way of life without polluting the environment.