The Value of Trees

http://www.care2.com/causes/california-discovers-the-value-in-planting-trees-alongside-streets.html

Neighborhoods look a lot prettier when trees line the streets, but the value of these trees goes well beyond the aesthetic… I’m talking cash, even! Researchers estimate that trees planted next to California streets generate approximately $1 billion in benefits for the state.
The Pacific Southwest division of the U.S. Forest Service conducted the study, which was published in Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, to get a firmer grasp on the kind of perks road-adjacent trees offer to the state. The money breakdown went like this:

• Increased property values: $839,000,000
• Energy savings (by offering shade): $101,000,000
• Absorbing rain and preventing flooding: $41,500,000
• Taking pollution out of the air: $18,000,000
• Storing harmful carbon emissions: $10,000,000

Obviously, the figure the U.S. Forest Service quoted doesn’t account for the myriad of other services that trees offer to the planet. Realistically, trees are priceless to our ecosystem, but if it takes applying dollar amounts for more immediate, tangible effects in order for people to see that planting more trees is a good idea, I’m all for it


Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/california-discovers-the-value-in-planting-trees-alongside-streets.html#ixzz4CMoMaJtU