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Individual Benefits

How you can benefit from urban forestry in your neighborhood.

Economic benefit of trees | Community benefit of trees


Economic benefit of trees

BenefitSupporting Information
Decrease heating and cooling costs• Properly placed trees can reduce heating and cooling costs by 10% to 20 % on average within 10-15 years after planting.
• Appropriately sited trees planted next to buildings can reduce summer air conditioning costs by 40%. Direct shading of an air conditioner can increase efficiency up to 10%.
• Houses on treed lots have about 20% lower annual energy bills than the same house in an open area.
Reduce construction and maintenance costs• Conserving trees on a property while developing it can reduce erosion and sedimentation control costs by up to $5,000/ac.
• Conserving trees on a property being developed can save communities from $2000 to $50,000 in storm water treatment costs.
• By conserving trees on a property, a land owner can save from $270 to $640 per acre in lawn maintenance costs.
Increase property values• Property values of homes with trees are on average 5% to 7% higher and as much as 20% higher than the equivalent properties without trees.
Positively influence consumer behavior• Consumer surveys show that 80% prefer retail establishments in business districts with street trees and other landscaping.
• Survey results indicate that consumers are more willing to travel further, stay loner, visit more frequently and pay for parking in business districts that are landscaped with trees.
• Survey participants priced goods on average 11% higher in landscaped business districts than in districts with no trees.

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Community benefit of trees

BenefitSupporting information
Improve health and well-being• Recuperation rates were faster for patients with views of wooded landscapes.
• Public housing has lower rates of violence when there were more trees present.
Provide shade and block ultra-violet radiation• Trees can block up to 95% of incoming solar radiation.
• Even in winter trees can block up to 50% of the suns energy.
Buffer and wind noise• With as little as 10% increase in canopy cover, trees can reduce wind speeds by 10 to 20%, and with an increase of 30% tree cover, wind speeds are reduced up to 35%.
• A 100 foot buffer of 50 foot trees can reduce highway noise by 6 to 10 decibles.

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