Trees

Benefits of trees

Trees work for us. Properly cared for, they are valuable assets worth three times your initial investment. Healthy trees mean: 

• Healthy people: 100 trees remove 53 tons of carbon dioxide and 430 pounds of other air pollutants per year.
• Healthy communities: Tree-filled neighborhoods lower levels of domestic violence and are safer and more sociable.
• Healthy environment: One hundred mature trees catch about 139,000 gallons of rainwater per year.
• Homeowner savings: Strategically placed trees save up to 56 percent on annual air-conditioning costs. Evergreens that block winter winds can save 3 percent on heating.
• Better business: Consumers shop more frequently and longer in tree-lined commercial areas and are willing to spend more.
• Higher property values: Each large front yard tree adds to a home’s sale price.

What is harming our trees

The exit holes in the ponderosa pine tell a story of bark beetles that have destroyed millions of trees on and beyond national forests and grasslands. Extended drought, warmer winters and aging forests helped to trigger the epidemic, although beetle epidemics are part of a natural process that cycles over time. Read about other threats:

• Wildfire
• Invasive species
• Unmanaged recreation
• Loss of open space

Tree Tips

• Anatomy of a tree
• What kind of tree do you want to plant? 
• What are your trees worth? Use our i-Tree software
• Tree Owner's Manual—National Edition