Laserfiche WebLink
.......... _ <br />-3�9ri 3i't 57f-_-i-'__X.,k lt.i �.T�T_€.__'#R.. <br />IZ il' <br />_ ... d.. j; ._F.......- <br />_Y..,r ,16 Yr <br />F F-xai3 - .iF� t 42 <br />to Planning the Urban Forest (Schwab, ed. <br />2009), the environmental benefits of the <br />urban forest include the following: <br />• Streambank stabilization —tree roots bind <br />soil and prevent sedimentation. <br />• Carbon sequestration —trees absorb atmo- <br />spheric carbon, which reduces greenhouse <br />gases. <br />'- s ll `g` d <br />_ a <br />�➢ x_ ?LSD£ is yy- <br />• Reduced air pollution —trees remove many <br />pollutants from the atmosphere, including <br />nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone, car- <br />bon monoxide, and particulate matter. <br />• Urban heat island mitigation —trees ab- <br />sorb sunlight, provide shade, and prevent <br />sunlight from reaching heat radiating sur- <br />faces (e.g., concrete, asphalt, and brick). <br />• Reduced energy consumption —trees pro- <br />vide shade and cooling in hot weather and <br />block strong winds in cold weather. <br />• Stormwater interception and filtration — <br />trees reduce stormwater runoff flow by inter- <br />cepting rainwater on leaves, branches, and <br />trunks; pollutants in stormwater runoff are <br />also absorbed and filtered in the soil and <br />taken up and filtered by trees. <br />ECONOMIC BENEFITS THE URBAN FOREST <br />The economic benefits of the urban forest <br />have also been realized and quantified, in- <br />cluding both direct benefits (e.g., return on <br />investment through real estate values and <br />taxes) and indirect cost savings (e.g., health <br />benefits and energy savings). These benefits <br />have been well documented in studies, sur- <br />veys, and reports, including a survey of real - <br />tors in 10 states conducted by Arbor National <br />Mortgage, Inc. in 1993. When presented with <br />a scenario in which two homes were identical <br />except for the presence of trees, 84 percent of <br />the participants felt the home with trees would <br />be as much as 20 percent more sellable. <br />There is even a National Tree Benefit <br />Calculator based on a street tree assess- <br />ment tool called STREETS in the U.S. Forest <br />Service's i-Tree software suite. This calcula- <br />tor measures the economic and ecological <br />benefits of individual trees. <br />Evidence -based research concludes <br />that protecting and enhancing the urban <br />forest provides a high return on invest- <br />ment for municipalities, developers, and <br />citizens. The most comprehensive research <br />on the economic value of trees dates back <br />ZONINGPRACTICE 9.12 <br />AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION I page 3 <br />