DID YOU KNOW?
URBAN FORESTS
1 ) Improve public health and safety
• The public realm is more likely to be used as a social space because of the increased comfort created by trees, which encourages stronger social relationships. An active public realm results in more connected citizens, which has both social and economic benefits.
• Trees help us breathe easier. Health is increased due to more physical activity and cleaner air.
• Just the sight of trees reduces stress and helps with concentration.
• Patients in hospitals with views of trees heal faster.
• They provide natural shade from the sun.
• Tree-lined streets are safer because they provide a visual edge that results in slower traffic.
• Reduce noise pollution by absorbing sound.
• Make places feel safer because people stay outside more.
• Reduce crime due to the visual impact of a caring community with people around. (Lower violent crime (15%) and property crime (14%) has been attributed to streets with a good tree canopy.)
2 ) Provide economic opportunities and returns
• Consumers consistently rated shopping districts with ample trees as very positive compared to similar shopping districts without trees. They also reported to be willing to pay 11% more for goods and more for parking in treed shopping districts. That number increased to 50% for certain types of convenience goods. Of course, this translates into a matching increase in sales tax revenue.
• Trees provide jobs for skilled arborists and maintenance personnel.
• Trees generate a high return on investment through energy savings, air pollution reduction, and captured runoff water.
• Trees reduce temperature dramatically, cool our cities, and reduce energy consumption.
• Trees provide shade for homes that result in savings on cooling costs.
• Trees reduce heating costs in winter by providing windbreaks.
• Trees reduce the need for more power stations.
• Trees extend the life of our streets because more shade means less heat to degrade asphalt.
• Trees remove pollutants from the air and sequester carbon.
• Trees increase property values by 3 to 15%.
3 ) Urban forests keep our environment clean & healthy
• Trees help combat climate change by capturing carbon.
• Trees produce the oxygen we breathe.
• Trees clean the air by filtering carbon dioxide and absorbing polluting gases.