New Study Looks at the Value of a Tree
Ever since grade school, we were told how much trees do for our?neighborhoods and communities, and even our planet. But what if we could officially put a number on a tree’s value??
Today?the?Arbor Day Foundation, in partnership with the?University of Nebraska-Lincoln Bureau of Business Research, and the USDA Forest Service?released the results of a?report, “The Economic Footprint and Quality-of-Life Benefits of Urban Forestry in the United States.” The study looked at the value that?the?trees in our front yards, backyards, neighborhoods, and urban areas have?on our quality of life.?The results are staggering, even for?someone like me who has dedicated the last?17 years to the Arbor Day Foundation’s mission to inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees.??
The report, available at?arborday.org/treereport ,?is extensive. Among other?results, it?found that?tree cover has?a $31.5 billion impact on?home values.?It also reported on?the external benefits to society those same trees provide their?communities?through things?such as?carbon sequestration, reduced air pollution and flood abatement. Using data from the Forest Service’s?i-Tree Landscape web application,?our?neighborhood?trees?were found to?provide more than $73 billion?worth of?environmental benefits to society?in a year.?
Also?detailed?was?how impactful the?urban forestry sector?is within each state, too. All told, the industry?contributes?$35 billion to the U.S.?economy, but I invite each of you to dive-in to the wealth of information the Arbor Day Foundation has made available in easy-to-understand infographics?for each state on our site. You can also download the full report or executive summary findings, too.??
While the results told us what we already know — trees play a huge role in our lives in so many ways — it’s important to think about how we can use this information to maximize a tree’s impact in the future.??
Visit?arborday.org/treereport ?to check it out for yourselves.?
Business Development Manager - Davey Resource Group
3 年Thanks for initiating this research! Perfect timing as we push our elected officials to include trees in the infrastructure bill. We currently have $3B for Urban & Community Forestry and need to hold the line. Especially if these trees return $35B to the economy! Trees are the answer. https://www.trees4community.com/
Mass Timber Strategist
3 年Thanks for getting this important work done and important story told Dan!
Insightful information
Global Sustainability/Public Policy | Founder Climate Consortium | 25+exp | Peer-Reviewed Environmental Consulting/Researcher: Urban Forestry, Aviation, Energy Equity, Future of Work | Sierra Club Executive/GA | AKA 1908
3 年This is incredibly exciting and much needed. As advocates for parks, trees, forests, and green space, consider that there is still considerable knowledge gaps for most consumers even with Tree City USA programs, Extension Services, and more media than ever. What ever can be done to increase meaningful awareness in the mainstream is both strategic and contributes to better communities. During my Masters program I was the only person with a forestry background. We need to increase the influence of foresters in more mainstream planning, policy and town halls.
National Program Lead for Urban Forest Research
3 年Big congrats on landing this report, Dan!