The Cost of Not Maintaining Trees: Findings and Recommendations from an International Symposium and Summit (original) (raw)
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Arboriculture and Urban Forestry, 2015
Existing urban forest literature is strongest in its quantification and qualification of the benefits and care of trees, and not in its ability to assess the results of lack of investment in trees. This paper presents the results of a literature review on the "Costs of Not Maintaining Trees" commissioned by the ISA Science and Research Committee. The authors summarized the literature from within the field of arboriculture/urban forestry to answer the questions: What are the costs of maintaining trees and the urban forest? And, What are the costs of not maintaining trees? Present here is a detailed summary of the literature on the costs of maintenance and lack of maintenance for types of tree care commonly included in municipal budgets (planting, pruning, removal, pest and disease management) and a brief review of costs associated with less-studied types of tree care (including tree risk management; watering; mulching; fertilizing and nutrient management; staking, cabling, and bracing; tree protection; and infrastructure repair). The authors suggest that future literature should aim to examine the influence of maintenance regimes on costs and tree outcomes, including examining how the frequency, intensity, duration, and extent of tree maintenance activities is connected to the structure, function, and benefits of trees.
Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 2012
Urban trees can potentially mitigate environmental degradation accompanying rapid urbanisation via a range of tree benefits and services. But uncertainty exists about the extent of tree benefits and services because urban trees also impose costs (e.g. asthma) and may create hazards (e.g. windthrow). Few researchers have systematically assessed how urban tree benefits and costs vary across different cities, geographic scales and climates. This paper provides a quantitative review of 115 original urban tree studies, examining: (i) research locations, (ii) research methods, and (iii) assessment techniques for tree services and disservices. Researchers published findings in 33 journals from diverse disciplines including: forestry, land use planning, ecology, and economics. Research has been geographically concentrated (64% of studies were conducted in North America). Nearly all studies (91.3%) used quantitative research, and most studies (60%) employed natural science methods. Demonstrated tree benefits include: economic, social, health, visual and aesthetic benefits; identified ecosystem services include: carbon sequestration, air quality improvement, storm water attenuation, and energy conservation. Disservices include: maintenance costs, light attenuation, infrastructure damage and health problems, among others. Additional research is required to better inform public policy, including comparative assessment of tree services and disservices, and assessment of urban residents and land managers’ understanding of tree benefits and costs.
THE VALUE OF URBAN TREES: ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS and ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY
It can be argued that trees occupy the same zone in the emotional intelligence of our species as do Pandas: there are many species of animals which are far more threatened than the Panda but there is something about its size, general appearance and the way in which it lives its life that strikes such particular resonance with humanity as to make it a suitable symbol of all endangered species. In the Kingdom of flora, trees occupy that same niche 8 .This view has, and is likely to continue to be re-enforced by the Kyoto Protocol and its successors. For a decade, the National Street Tree Symposium has played an important role in the education and development of the Australian community. Any cursory glance at the quality of its presenters and the range of their papers leaves no doubt as to the efficacy and significance of these proceedings. Though 'time and tide wait for no man' 9 , symposium papers have kept pace with the ebb and flow of ideas, prejudice and public policy. How...
Managing and Assessing Aging Urban Trees
2005
Urban trees directly influence the lives of the 87% of Australian people that live in urban areas. Hence, urban trees are valuable commun ity resources, and much literature has focused on this from both societal v alues (e.g., Kaplan 1977; Kuo 2003; Wolf 1998a) and via quantitatively measured values (e.g., Brack 2002; Maco & McPherson 2003; McPherson et al. 1999; Wee 1999). C hanges that eliminate large trees can substantially reduce both values.
Ferrini F., Konijnendijk van den Bosch C. C. & Fini A. (Eds.). Routledge Handbook of Urban Forestry. Routledge, London and New York. Pp. 164-176, 2017
Urban trees provide various benefits but they are also a source of various types of harm and nuisance. This chapter argues for the recognition of these ecosystem disservices and discusses ways to assess them. It presents a review highlighting the wide scope of disservices, including health effects, physical damage to infrastructure, emissions influencing air quality, unexpected economic costs, and social and psychological factors related to urban forests as places of fear or inconvenience. Different kinds of disservice may be produced by urban trees depending on their location, growth phase and the intensity of maintenance. Moreover, different disservices may be perceived as relevant depending on the knowledge base, attitudes and expectations of the people making the valuation. In some cases, concerns related to disservices may be amplified and exaggerated by the news media and social media debates. In turn, this may increase the risk of misplaced management actions. A balanced and comprehensive assessment of both ecosystem services and disservices provided by urban trees is needed for successful urban green management.
Comparison of the Economic Value of Urban Trees Through Surveys with Photographs in Two Seasons
Urban trees are generally considered to be a public asset and are an important part of a city's heritage. The aim of this work is to analyse the influence of season on the economic appraisal of various trees in Madrid. Photographs were taken of 43 individual tree specimens in summer and winter. The survey was designed to compare differences of opinion in the economic assessment of trees. The trees were assessed by five valuation methods used worldwide. 78 agroforestry engineering students answered a written survey, and the variables considered were: percentage of students who always evaluated the tree equally (%0), percentage of students who assigned more value to the summer photograph (%S), and percentage of students who assigned more value to the winter photograph (%W). The results were analysed by the statistical test of equal proportions and ANOVA to detect differences according to tree type (evergreen or deciduous), species and other groupings made by the authors in previou...
Benefits and costs of street trees in Lisbon, Portugal
Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 2011
It is well known that urban trees produce various types of benefits and costs. The computer tool i-Tree STRATUM helps quantify tree structure and function, as well as the value of some of these tree services in different municipalities. This study describes one of the first applications of STRATUM outside the U.S. Lisbon's street trees are dominated by Celtis australis L., Tilia spp., and Jacaranda mimosifolia D. Don, which together account for 40% of the 41,247 trees. These trees provide services valued at 8.4millionannually,while8.4 million annually, while 8.4millionannually,while1.9 million is spent in their maintenance. For every 1investedintreemanagement,residentsreceive1 invested in tree management, residents receive 1investedintreemanagement,residentsreceive4.48 in benefits. The value of energy savings ($6.20/tree), CO 2 reduction ($0.33/tree) and air pollutant deposition ($5.40/tree) were comparable to several other U.S. cities. The large values associated with stormwater runoff reduction ($47.80/tree) and increased real estate value ($144.70/tree) were substantially greater than values obtained in U.S. cities. Unique aspects of Lisbon's urban morphology and improvement programs are partially responsible for these differences.