While many of us enjoy the esthetic beauty of a well-maintained lawn, sports field or golf fairway, they may not realize that there are environmental benefits of turfgrass. Next time you’re playing a game of soccer, strolling through the golf course or taking in the smell of freshly cut grass in your neighbourhood, think about the power of healthy grass, which includes:
- Reducing the speed and force of flowing water runoff
- Preventing erosion by forming fibrous root systems
- Serving as a barrier to fire damage
- Reducing injuries on sports fields
- Reducing pollen production by preventing the growth of weeds and helps keep allergies in check
- Has a cooling effect that lowers air temperature around turfgrass
- Releasing oxygen (e.g. a 15 metre x 15 metre lawn produces enough air to support four people for a year)
- Sequestering carbon (e.g. a hectare of golf course turf is capable of sequestering one tonne of carbon into the soil per year for 30 years).
