With city budgets increasing amid complaints of increased taxes, urban forests are increasingly subject to the budget ax. To counter this trend, values and costs of urban forests are needed to assess their true value to the public.

A study conducted in Sacramento, CA by the USDA Pacific Southwest Research Station, Davis, CA, assessed some of the benefits and costs of that urban forest. The total values of annual heating and cooling savings and air pollution uptake by Sacramento County’s six million trees was $49 million. Approximately 1,457 metric tons of air pollutants were absorbed by these trees annually, primarily ozone and particulate matter. Other forest services include rainfall interception, storm water quality improvement, carbon dioxide removal, human health enhancement, scenic beauty, increased property value, wildlife habitat, community bonding, and recreation opportunities. On the other side of the ledger, the Sacramento City Tree Services Division spends about $3 million each year or about $30 per tree. Home owners are estimated to spend $5 to $10 per tree for watering, pruning, pest/disease control, and removal.

Results of this research have been used to show the public that their investments in urban forestry really pay off. The methodology developed in Sacramento and elsewhere has been used in urban forestry assessment models developed by private industry and other non governmental organizations.

Contact: Carol A.R. Demuth at (510) 559-6315