The Benefits of Trees
Planting trees in your landscape increases your property value, lowers cooling costs and even cleans the air around you. They also provide a habitat for migrating birds and other pollinators. Do you already have trees in your landscape? Want to find out how they benefit you? It’s all in this week’s blog post. Check it out!
Increased Property Value
Money doesn’t grow on trees, but they do add value to your property. A fully mature tree is usually appraised anywhere from $1,000 to $10,000, depending on the type of tree, health of the tree and location. Researchers at Michigan University found that if healthy trees were part of a well-designed well-maintained landscape they could increase the home’s value by up to 11 percent. Furthermore, just having a mature tree in your front yard will increase your home’s sales price by around $7,000. Considering it takes an average of 30 years for a tree to fully mature, we suggest you start planting them now.
Already have trees in your landscape? Quantify their benefits by using i-Tree, a free tool created by USDA Forest Service Research and used all over the world. Simply fill out information about your tree (species, diameter, distance from house, sun exposure, etc.) and i-Tree will calculate your estimated total yearly benefits. It also calculates how much air pollution each tree filters in a year and the amount of stormwater runoff avoided. Click here or enter “mytree.itreetools.org” in your browser to get started.
Cooling & Energy Savings
Not only do we need shade in the summer, but our homes need it as well. Trees absorb water through their roots and evaporate it through their pores, a process which has a cooling effect on the surrounding air; lowering summer temperatures by up to 9 degrees. Trees block sun from windows, exterior walls, A/C units and roofs; greatly reducing the overall temperature of your home. In fact, shaded walls can be nearly 45 degrees cooler than those exposed to full sunlight.
i-Tree will calculate your yearly electricity savings based on the number of trees and how many you have shading your home. Not only does planting trees near your home have a cooling effect, they also give you privacy from streets and neighbors and provide a noise-barrier. Shaded driveways will also last longer, as the shade significantly slows down the deterioration process.
Cleaner Water & Air
Roanoke Stormwater estimates that Roanoke’s current street trees intercept 107 million gallons of water per year, which not only helps to prevent flooding but also cleans the water by filtering out pollutants. Trees also filter pollutants from the air, with the current trees in Roanoke removing around 211 tons of air pollutants per year. Trees create a healthier environment which leads to healthier people and a better world. They are even known to reduce stress and anxiety. So what are you waiting for? Add trees to your landscape, get a great return on your investment and reap all the many benefits they have to offer. Plant some trees today!
