Midwest Community Tree Guide Benefits, Costs, and Strategic Planting

摘要

This report quantifies benefits and costs for typical small, medium, and large deciduous (losing their leaves every autumn) trees: crabapple, red oak, and hackberry (see Common and Scientific Names section). The analysis assumed that trees were planted in a residential yard or public site (streetside or park) with a 60 percent survival rate over a 40-year timeframe. Tree care costs were based on results from a survey of municipal and commercial arborists. Benefits were calculated by using tree growth curves and numerical models that consider regional climate, building characteristics, air-pollutant concentrations, and prices. Given the Midwest regions large geographical area, this approach provides first-order approximations. It is a general accounting that can be easily adapted and adjusted for local planting projects. Two examples are provided that illustrate how to adjust benefits and costs to reflect different aspects of local planting projects.Average annual net benefits (benefits minus costs) per computer-grown tree for a 40-year period were: $3 to $15 for a small tree $4 to $34 for a medium tree $58 to $76 for a large treeEnvironmental benefits alone, such as energy savings, stormwater-runoff reduction, and reduced air-pollutant uptake, were three to five times the tree care costs for small, medium, and large trees.