Boulder – City officials have long touted the inherent, if not abstract, value of trees, but now they are able to put a dollar figure on them.
Two million bucks.
An analysis of 35,000 city trees found that Boulder residents get a 360 percent return on every dollar they put into maintaining and planting trees in the city.
“This is a different kind of study, and not a lot of cities have done it,” said city forester Ellie Bussi-Sottile. “It is something I thought for years that we needed to do. … It is very fascinating to us, and we thought it would be fascinating to the public that enjoys the benefits.”
The report considered how city trees improve everything from quality of life to home values to infrastructure. For instance, citywide, an average tree soaks up about 1,271 gallons of stormwater annually, saving the city more than $500,000 in infrastructure costs.
The analysis also showed each tree in Boulder is worth about $5 toward energy savings – about $175,000 citywide.
How so? Just by doing what trees do, such as creating shade, foresters say.
“It is easy to get a handle on what the costs are,” said E. Gregory McPherson, who led the analysis for the U.S. Forest Service. “But the benefits. No one is paying the tree to clean the air or shade a building. So trying to value the service is something that helps give a broader and more complete accounting of the service.”
Only about a dozen cities across the country have tried to put a dollar figure on the value of city trees, McPherson said. Fort Collins and Cheyenne are among other cities to commission the analysis.
“I think, more and more, the municipal forest is being viewed as a capital asset,” McPherson said.
Tim Buchannan, Fort Collins’ city forester, said the study helps him make his case during budget season.
“This has been very helpful to the political decision makers,” he said. “I think it is just opening people’s eyes and placing a greater value on trees in cities other than just something nice to look at.”
Of the cities to pay about $15,000 for the analysis, Boulder has the best return on the dollar.
Bussi-Sottile said that’s helpful as she looks for scarce funding. “It is always good when you can quantify what you do,” she said. “Especially when times are tight.”
McPherson said he hopes the idea catches on.
“We are just kind of scratching the surface in terms of what they mean to us,” he said. “But at least it is a beginning.”
Staff writer George Merritt can be reached at 720-929-0893 or gmerritt@denverpost.com.
