Benefits of Lawn to the Environment - Essay Example

Benefits of Lawn to the Environment A lawn refers to an area of land planted with grasses or other durable plants that are maintained at a short height. The lawns are mainly used for recreational and aesthetic purposes. The common characteristics of a lawn are that it consists only of grass species, it is subject to pest and weed control, and it is regularly cut to maintain required length. The Americans love lawn due to aesthetics, psychology, and economics reasons. The paper explains the benefits that lawns have on the environment, which raises the need of promoting lawns. Apart from the aesthetic and psychological purposes, the lawn also has beneficial functions including promotion of safety and health. Grass can act as a firebreak in some areas thus prevents wildfires from spreading. Therefore, lawns are important to the environment because they prevent the occurrence of wildfires thus ensuring that there is no loss of biodiversity. The turf grass is useful in reducing pollution of the environment by trapping some pollutants and pollens that lead to the development of allergies. “Even before scientists discovered that turf can trap some pollutants and pollens that cause allergies, Walt Whitman called grass the handkerchief of the Lord” (Bormann et al., 9). The green plants can act as reservoirs of clean air that leads to the creation of healthy environments. The lawns are also useful in performing ecological functions that help to conserve the environment. The lawn comprises of grass cover that covers the ground, which helps in binding soil particles together. Therefore, the grass will prevent soil erosion by holding the soil particles together (Maetens et al., 106). The turf grass is capable of slowing down and absorbing storm water runoff. The turf grasses have many leaves that increase their ability of preventing soil erosion, which is beneficial to the environment (Robbins and Trevor, 192). The leaves of the grass protect the soil from the effects of raindrops that could lead to splash erosion. Therefore, the lawns have benefits to the environment because the turf grass prevents soil erosion thus ensuring that the environment is not degraded. The turf grass increases the ability of the soil to infiltrate the water, which help to decrease flooding of various streams. The water that infiltrates into the soil increases the level of ground water that can be used by deep-rooted plants during drought. Therefore, the ground water is important in maintaining biodiversity that is of good benefit to the environment. The lawns also benefit the environment due to the fact the turf grass clean water and air that moves through the soil. The grass carries out photosynthesis due to the presence of green pigments. Therefore, grass utilizes in carbon dioxide and releases oxygen during the process of photosynthesis. The aspects of taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen help to purify the air, which is of benefit to the environment (Steiner and Alan, 76). The turf grasses absorb water from the soil that is later released in the atmosphere through the process of transpiration. The water released into the atmosphere in vapor form condenses and fall back as rain, which makes the turf grass important in cleaning water. By changing the lawn care practices to include best management practices, the environmental impacts of our residential landscapes can be improved. The lawns require an appropriate amount of water and fertilizer that will ensure that the turf grass grows vigorously. The pesticides should be applied frequently to ensure that the turf grass remains healthy (Bormann et al., 98). The lawns also require laborers to check on the growth of the turf grass in order to maintain a uniform size. The inputs are necessary in high maintenance lawns to maintain the green color and keep away the weeds. The management practices should be used in the best way to minimize any negative environmental impacts and to maintain a desired level of lawn. The fertilizer should be applied only when necessary and in the correct amount (Robbins and Julie, 436). The irrigation of the lawns should be done at the correct time and rate. “For example, overwatering can lead to plant diseases caused by growth of fungi” (Bormann et al., 101). Therefore, the pesticides should be used when necessary, especially when the pest level can cause damage to the lawn. The pesticides should be used when other methods of pest control are ineffective. This management practices will help to reduce the negative impacts of the pesticides on the environment. Proper selection should be made on the right grass depending on the local environment. “Some grasses require large amounts of water and should be avoided in areas frequently subject to drought” (Bormann et al., 95). The use of non grass species such as clover is also important in improving environmental impacts. The clover has microorganisms that convert the nitrogen from the air into an inorganic form that can be used by the grass. The fertilizer used should mainly comprise of organic fertilizers that are derived from the organic that decomposes. “The nutrients in these fertilizers are largely insoluble and are released over time by microbial action” (Bormann et al., 98). This reduces the need for chemical nitrogen fertilizers thus reducing environmental pollution. The roots of the clover also bind the soil particles thus help to control soil erosion. Another practice of reducing the negative impacts on the environment is reducing the use of gasoline-powered machines in order to reduce environmental pollution. The correct choice should be made on the lawn care companies. The lawn care company should be the one that has reputable lawn care practices and is capable of providing a carefree and healthy lawn. “Many companies have reputable lawn care practices and can provide a home owner with a carefree, healthy lawn” (Bormann et al., 103). Replacing the lawns with low maintenance shrubs, herbs or trees can also reduce negative impacts on the environment because it reduces the need for chemical or water that could be added to the lawn. The replacement of the lawns with low maintenance shrubs, trees or herbs also reduces the need of mowers that help to control environmental pollution. In conclusion, the lawn has many benefits to the environment as compared to the detrimental effects. The turf grass plays a major important role in reducing soil erosion by holding the soil particles together and reducing the speed of surface runoff. The best management practices including appropriate use of pesticides and herbicides, and reducing the use of gasoline-powered machines reduce environmental pollution. Therefore, the best management practices should be incorporated to improve the environmental impacts of our residential landscapes. Work Cited Bormann, F. Herbert, Diana Balmori, and Gordon T. Geballe. Redesigning the American Lawn: A Search for Environmental Harmony. New Haven; CT: Yale University Press, 2001. Maetens, Willem, Jean Poesen, and Matthias Vanmaercke. "How effective are soil conservation techniques in reducing plot runoff and soil loss in Europe and the Mediterranean?." Earth-Science Reviews (2012). Robbins, Paul, and Julie T. Sharp. "Producing and Consuming Chemicals: The Moral Economy of the American Lawn." Economic Geography 79.4 (2003): 425-451. Robbins, Paul, and Trevor Birkenholtz. "Turfgrass Revolution: Measuring the Expansion of the American lawn." Land Use Policy 20.2 (2003): 181-194. Steiner, Jean L., and Alan J. Franzluebbers. "Farming with grass—for people, for profit, for production, for protection." journal of soil and water conservation 64.2 (2009): 75-80. Read More