Tree study clears the air
UC Davis researchers find tall evergreens, planted in rows, filter toxic auto exhaust and disperse it.
By Chris Bowman - cbowman@sacbee.com
Published 12:17 am PDT Tuesday, May 6, 2008
UC Davis researchers say they have confirmed in laboratory experiments that certain trees are highly effective in filtering and dispersing some of the most toxic particles in auto exhaust.
The findings suggest health risks in neighborhoods and schools near heavy traffic can be cut significantly by flanking the roadways with tall evergreens.
If the cleansing effect holds under further testing, roadside tree "walls" could be a relatively inexpensive, low-tech and aesthetic strategy for mitigating the sooty aerosols wafting off urban freeways, according to Breathe California, a nonprofit public health advocacy group that sponsored the University of California, Davis, study.
"We would like to do more studies and test it in the real world, to show that it works for a lot of people in lots of places," said Koro Titus, spokeswoman for the group's Sacramento chapter.
