An environmental expert, Prof. Dairo Oyedele, has lauded the practice of planting trees around the homes as a positive trend that could elongate people’s life span and make them healthy.

Oyedele, in a telephone chat with newsmen in Osogbo  recently said that the degree of oxygen released into the environment by the trees was invaluable.

“It cannot be quantified in any way.

“This oxygen is very important and necessary for human survival and our people have acted well by their action.

“It will help the people and the environment in no small way,’’ he added.

Meanwhile, some residents of Osogbo also told newsmen that the rationale for planting the trees was to ensure safety and healthy living.

One of the respondents, Mrs Ayoka Samson of Ogo-Oluwa area of Osogbo, said that the practice of planting trees around residential areas  was for protection against rainstorm.

“It is our belief that having trees around residential areas will protect our  houses from rainstorm because those houses were roofed with palm-trees, which made them vulnerable.

‘’You will realise that hardly would you see a house in this part of the country without being surrounded by trees, it has more or less become a tradition,’’ she said.

Another resident of the area, Bose Oladeji said the major reason why people planted trees  around their buildings nowadays was for them to be close to nature.

According to her, some elites have discovered the advantage inherent in being close to nature.

“Since they cannot settle in the rural areas; they have to create an alternative.

‘’ Contrary to the reasons people in the past had, for planting trees, many of our modern day buildings are not prone to any natural mishaps like rainstorm.

‘’The people now plant trees to have a serene  environment for healthy living; they have talked about the importance of the oxygen these trees release into the atmosphere,’’ Oladeji said.