Money really does grow on trees

RELEASE: Sept. 26, 2008 – Volume XL, No. 39

”I think that I shall never see, a poem lovely as a tree…” New Jersey’s own Joyce Kilmer had the poetic vision to see the majesty and beauty of trees. If you consider yourself more practical than poetic – interested in facts and figures rather than soaring imagery – a growing body of data shows you have lots of reasons to sing the praises of trees.

Trees provide people with a remarkable range of free “eco-services” – natural benefits we would have to pay for if the trees didn’t cooperate. The national non-profit, American Forests, is pioneering the quantification of forest eco-values. Among the findings:

Healthy forests reduce and slow the flow of rainwater into rivers and streams; this natural process controls pollution, reduces soil erosion and prevents flooding. Using formulas developed by the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service, American Forests estimates trees save the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area $4.7 billion over 20 years by reducing the need for water retention structures.

Forests naturally filter out water pollutants and protect water quality. Without this filtration, drinking water must be chemically treated at much higher costs, which vary depending on the pollutants. Plus, additional chemical waste is created in the process.

Trees naturally protect our air quality by removing many pollutants from the atmosphere, including carbon monoxide. Based on U.S. Forest Service research and accepted economic methodology, American Forests estimated the annual value of trees in reducing air pollution in metropolitan Washington, D.C., at $2.1 million.

Trees also absorb greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. Younger trees more aggressively draw carbon out of the air (or “sequester” it), and older trees store more total carbon in their wood. Given the enormous potential costs of climate change - mitigating it or adapting to it - the value of this eco-service alone is almost beyond measure.

In a 2001 study, American Forests found shade from tree cover in metropolitan Atlanta saved residents approximately $2.8 million every year in reduced energy costs. These savings apply anywhere there’s heat and sun, and using less energy further reduces air pollution. In fact, American Forests estimates that in urban and suburban areas, tree shade can reduce carbon output from power plants by more than the amount sequestered by a growing forest.

Ratable chasers are quick to tout the economic benefits of building – everything from tax revenues to economic development. But those numbers represent only half of the balance sheet. Quantifying the services provided by trees helps fill an important gap in discussions about land preservation, and levels the debate about the cost of sprawl and development

In Ocean County, New Jersey, the Lacey Township Rail-Trail Environmental Committee recently studied the benefits of trees growing in an old railroad right-of-way that has been proposed for a road. According to the study, "over a 50-year lifetime, one tree generates $31,250 worth of oxygen, provides $62,000 worth of air pollution control, recycles $37,500 worth of water and controls $31,250 worth of soil erosion."

Do the math, and that adds up to $162,000 worth of free eco-services from just one of the estimated 5,000 trees that would be cut down to make way for the new road - and $810 million for the whole section of forest. It turns out money really DOES grow on trees!

Our state legislators are taking notice of these cost savings.

Senator Bob Smith introduced a bill (S2677) with incentives and funding for the development of updated "Forest Stewardship Plans" for New Jersey's privately owned forests. The bill encourages landowners to upgrade existing forest management plans to nationally-recognized standards.

This would encourage management of forests for endangered species, carbon sequestration, shrub and tree regeneration, and invasive species control - not just for wood products, as most are today. Instead of having to cut down trees for property tax reductions, landowners would have new approaches and alternatives that would keep the trees and the forests.

Please contact your legislators and ask them to support S2677. To find out the names, addresses and telephone numbers of your legislators, go to www.state.nj.us/members/legsearch.asp.

For more information about the natural value of forests, visit the American Forests website at www.americanforests.org/resources/urbanforests/naturevalue.php. And I hope you’ll contact me at info@njconservation.org, or visit NJCF’s website at www.njconservation.org, for more information about conserving New Jersey’s precious land and natural resources.

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