My response drew a few curious glances. Earlier this year when a lottery jackpot reached an amount with too many zeros to write, people lined up to buy tickets the way they now line up for the vaccine.

Swept up in the excitement, I decided to buy one ticket while grocery shopping. The line was long and the dreams were big.

I listened to people discussing what they would do with the money if they won.

Suddenly one stranger gestured toward me and casually asked what I plan to do if I win.

“Plant trees,” I answered, without hesitation. “Plant millions of trees.”

No one said anything.

I was being honest. The world needs many more trees. And I would love to donate them.

If asked, most people probably would say they like trees for their beauty or their delicious fruit or their cooling shade in summer and warming windbreak in winter.

Beyond that, few people give trees much thought.

A T-shirt in a catalog that arrived last week reminded me why our earth needs trees.

“Breathe Tree Lungs,” the text read. Indeed, the shirt’s drawing of an upside down tree trunk with its branches and twigs resembled our lungs. Clever. And true.

Trees help us breathe. They provide much-needed oxygen.

Without trees on our earth, humans and animals could not exist.

When we learn all the benefits trees provide for us, we likely are impressed by their many roles and see these majestic giants with a new respect.

In our increasingly polluted environment, we need trees to give us fresh air. It is that simple.

Their needles and leaves absorb poisonous carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, ozone, sulfur dioxide and other harmful elements from the air surrounding us.

As if that is not enough of a gift to us, trees then release great amounts of pure oxygen into our atmosphere. I have read that one large tree, in one year can produce enough oxygen to fill about 800 houses.

Thank you, tree!

Trees also are nature’s biggest air filters. They trap dust and pollution particles that are in the air and hold these irritants in their leaves, needles and branches until rain comes along and washes the particles into the ground.

A lot more pollution would infiltrate our neighborhoods (and lungs) if trees did not perform this important function.

Planting many trees along busy roads and in industrial areas is a wonderful way to trap smog before it reaches our lungs.

Well-placed trees in such areas also muffle unwanted noise, another benefit.

Most people think they feel more comfortable under a tree on a hot day because the leaves block the sun’s rays. That is true, but it’s not the whole story.

Trees do even more to cool us. They release large amounts of moisture into the surrounding air, which cools the air around us.

According to tree experts, one large tree with lots of big leaves can release 300 to 400 gallons of moisture into the air daily. One tree!

Imagine the cooling moisture being released in parks and forests with numerous trees.

Trees prevent soil runoff, too. Their roots hold the soil in place, so it doesn’t get washed away by rain or blown away by wind.

Their leaves and needles also soften the effect of heavy rains, allowing water to seep into the ground slowly, rather than be wasted.

One of my favorite features of trees is their habitat for wildlife. I enjoy seeing squirrels and birds in the trees that many critters call home. Some trees, such as oaks and other nut and seed producing species, provide both homes and food for wild animals.

My late husband and I donated about 20 trees to public spaces, in addition to the ones we planted in our yard and the yards of friends and neighbors who were receptive.

Seeing these trees now, after 10 or 20 years of growth, is thrilling.

So, yes, I truly would be over the moon if I could seed the world with trees.

Although small initially, the trees we plant now will benefit many future generations.

Planting a tree today demonstrates our belief in tomorrow.