Planting trees along highways offers numerous benefits for the environment, local communities, and driver safety.
Many highways in Vietnam are lined with greenery, providing significant advantages.
On the highway, vehicles travel at high speeds (60-120 km/h), and at these speeds, tire friction against the road generates considerable noise, compounded by engine sounds.
Trees planted along the Nội Bài – Lào Cai highway. (Photo illustration: Như Quỳnh).
Therefore, highway construction contractors often plant trees along both sides of the road, which serves to reduce external noise, particularly when the road is built near residential areas.
Additionally, it helps construction companies save a significant amount of money by eliminating the need for soundproof walls along the highway.
Moreover, green trees also play a crucial role in reducing pollution. During travel, vehicles emit a substantial amount of CO2, and trees can absorb some of this gas.
Not only do these trees benefit the environment and local residents, but planting trees along highways can also enhance driver safety.
Specifically, in the event of heavy rain or strong winds, the rows of trees act as a barrier, reducing wind speed and helping drivers feel more secure and better able to control their vehicles at high speeds.
Furthermore, in dangerous situations such as collisions with other vehicles or crashes into safety barriers that could cause a driver to lose control, the trees can prevent vehicles from veering off the highway, which could endanger nearby residents, or mitigate the risk of vehicles plunging into rivers or ditches, threatening human lives.
Finally, planting trees also enhances the aesthetic appeal of the highway, calming stress and improving the mood of drivers, allowing them to focus on driving without being distracted by external scenery.
Despite these significant benefits, planting trees along highways can also pose some drawbacks, such as the risk of old, dry branches falling onto the road, especially during the rainy season, which can compromise driver safety, as well as large branches intruding onto the roadway.
Therefore, highway construction companies now often choose appropriate tree species and plant them about 5-10 meters away from the embankment to avoid impacting road users.
