th- th grade unit - uwsp · 9th-12th grade unit 104 lesson 1 - what’s it worth? in troduc tion...

LEAF Urban Forest Lesson Guide9TH-12TH GRADE UNITLesson 1 - What’s It Worth?

NUTSHELLIn this lesson, students review what urban forests and ecosystems are. They analyze

data about the benefits and costs of maintaining trees in urban forests and fillout a worksheet. Then, in small groups, students read and discuss summaries of research

about the benefits to humans from a social perspective. Finally, the class discusseswhich of the benefits they learned about also may relate to rural forests.

9TH-12TH GRADE UNITLESSON 1

What’s It Worth?

102

BIG IDEAS• An urban forest is all the trees and other

vegetation in and around a town, village, orcity. Plants, people, and animals are part ofthe urban forest. (Subconcept 1)

• An urban forest is an ecosystem. Anecosystem is an area that contains living(e.g., trees, people, animals) and nonliving(e.g., soil, buildings, roads) things existingtogether and interacting. Humans play adominant role in the urban ecosystem.(Subconcept 2)

• The urban tree canopy retains stormwater,reduces heat island effects, absorbspollutants, and provides wildlife habitat.These benefits are important andquantifiable. (Subconcept 6)

• Urban forests affect the physical andpsychological health of human residents.(Subconcept 7)

• A healthy urban forest can provide economicbenefits including reduced energy costs,reduced stormwater runoff, and increasedproperty values. (Subconcept 8)

• The benefits of healthy, well-maintainedurban forests outweigh the costs to maintainthem. (Subconcept 9)

• Research can show potential benefits ofproper management, identify new uses fortrees, find ways to protect urban forestsfrom insects and disease, and suggestimprovements for tree care techniques.(Subconcept 25)

OBJECTIVESUpon completion of this lesson, students willbe able to:• Define the term “urban forest.”• Describe how parts of urban forest ecosystems

are connected.• Describe benefits the tree canopy in an urban

forest provides (stormwater retention, pollutionabsorption, etc.).

• Explain how urban forests affect the physicaland psychological health of human residents.

• List and explain ways urban forests provideeconomic benefits.

• Compare the benefits to the costs ofwell-maintained urban forests.

SUBJECT AREASEconomics, Social Studies

LESSON/ACTIVITY TIME• Total Lesson Time: 90 minutes• Time Breakdown:

Introduction .................................5 minutesActivity 1....................................30 minutesActivity 2....................................40 minutesConclusion ................................15 minutes

TEACHING SITEClassroom

LEAF Urban Forest Lesson Guide9TH-12TH GRADE UNIT

Lesson 1 - What’s It Worth? 103

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FOR EACH STUDENT• Copy of Student Page !!1, Small Tree

Benefits

• Copy of Student Page !!2, Small Tree Costs

• Copy of Student Page !!3, Large TreeBenefits

• Copy of Student Page !!4, Large Tree Costs

• Copy of Student Page !!5, Cost/BenefitComparison

• Copy of one summary from Student Pages!!6A-F, Human-Environment Studies

• Calculator

FOR THE TEACHER• Teacher Page A1, Benefits

• Teacher Pages A2A-B, Costs

• Teacher Page Ak3, Cost/BenefitComparison Key

MATERIALS LIST

• Make copies of Student Pages !!1-5 on different colored paper.

TEACHER PREPARATION

BACKGROUNDAN ECOSYSTEMAn ecosystem is an area that containsorganisms (e.g., plants, animals, bacteria)interacting with one another and their nonlivingenvironment. It is often considered an oxymoronto say “urban forest” because the images of aforest conjured up in the minds of most peopleinvolve acres of woodlands with large trees,small trees, shrubs, and forbs and herbs. Rarelydo we envision people as part of a forest. Anurban forest is all the trees and other vegetationin and around a city, village, or development.A closer look at the definition of forest provesthat the urban forest truly fits the description.An urban forest contains living things such astrees, shrubs, flowers, grasses, animals, insects,birds, and also contains abiotic factors such assunlight, water, pavement, soil, cars, and wind.All the functions that take place in “natural”ecosystems also take place in cities, but citiesare affected more by human government,economy, and culture. Humans have modifiedsoil, created pollution, removed vegetation,

planted species that are not native, and pavedacres of land. According to the WisconsinDepartment of Natural Resources - Division ofForestry publication Wisconsin Forests at theMillennium: an Assessment, Wisconsin has1.7 million acres of urban forest. That representsabout 4.7 percent of Wisconsin’s land area.

SOCIAL BENEFITSJust as with a rural forest, urban forests providemany benefits. Numerous studies have beendone about the social and psychologicalbenefits of “green” in urban environments.The findings of the studies make a strongcase for the importance of urban forests.

Urban public housing residents who lived inbuildings without trees and grass nearby wereasked about how they cope with major lifeissues. They reported more procrastinationand assessed their issues as more severe thanresidents with green nearby.

LEAF Urban Forest Lesson Guide9TH-12TH GRADE UNITLesson 1 - What’s It Worth?104

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study found that residents living in areas withoutnearby nature reported more aggression andviolence than those living with nearby green.

The impact of nature found nearby to innercity girls’ homes was studied in relation toself-discipline. The study revealed that, onaverage, the more nature a girl is exposedto near home, the higher her self-discipline.

Access to nature also provides humans withother social benefits. Parks and other greenspaces provide a space for people to play, walk,jog, birdwatch, or just sit quietly. These activitiesare good for our physical health in a society thatis increasingly sedentary. It is also good for ourmental health, providing a place to unwind.

ECONOMIC BENEFITSThe economic benefits of urban forests areincreasingly being documented. Economicsoften becomes the language used when itcomes to urban forest management. Budgets ofmunicipalities must cover an array of services,and the benefits of an urban ecosystem mustoften be proven to secure funding. In a study thatconsidered the costs and benefits of municipalforests in five U.S. cities, the researchers foundthat for every dollar spent, the benefits returnedwere worth from $1.37 to $3.09. A little mathtells us this is clearly a good investment.

Trees save money through reduced energycosts. Cities create what is referred to as a heatisland. The concrete, asphalt, buildings, andother surfaces collect and hold heat from thesun. During hot summer days, cities can befive to nine degrees warmer than surroundingareas. Shading, evapotranspiration, and windspeed reduction all help conserve energy inbuildings. A study conducted in Minneapolis,Minnesota, showed that trees placed in theproper location can reduce total heating andcooling costs by eight percent.

VOCABULARYCanopy: The leaves and branches of a treeor group of trees.

Carbon Sequestration: The captureand storage of carbon dioxide from theatmosphere into biotic (e.g., trees) or abiotic(e.g., coal) pools of carbon.

Ecosystem: An area that contains organisms(e.g., plants, animals, bacteria) interactingwith one another and their nonlivingenvironment (e.g., climate, soil, topography).

Evapotranspiration: The loss of water byevaporation from the soil surface and bytranspiration from plants.

Forest: An ecosystem that is characterizedby a dominance of tree cover and containsa variety of other organisms (e.g., otherplants, animals).

Heat Island: The phenomenon that, becauseconcrete and asphalt absorb and radiate heat,cities are five to nine degrees warmer thanrural areas.

Runoff: Water that flows on the surface ofthe ground.

Urban Forest: A forest ecosystem thatincludes all the trees and other vegetationin and around a town, village, or city.Plants, people, and animals are part ofthe urban forest.

A study done with children with Attention DeficitDisorder (ADD) found that children with ADDwere better able to focus and concentrate afterplaying in natural, green settings, than in thosewhere concrete was predominant.

Apartment buildings with high levels of greeneryhave been shown to have approximately halfthe number of crimes than those with little orno greenery. The results proved true for bothproperty crimes and violent crimes. A similar


Lesson 1 - What’s It Worth?

Homeowners who plant trees not only help withthe costs of heating and cooling their homes,but increase the value of their property.Research suggests that property valuescan increase three to seven percent whentrees are present.

Some economic benefits of urban forests arethe result of the presence of trees and the impactthey have on consumer spending. Recentresearch suggests that consumers perceiveshopping areas with a green streetscape tohave a more positive image, atmosphere, andcomfort level. In addition to those perceptions,people are willing to pay 9.2 percent more forproducts in a shopping area with trees.

One economic benefit that urban trees canprovide, but often don’t, is one based onproducts. Municipalities and tree servicesacross the country have come up with ways touse the wood that is cut from an urban forest.Products range from specialty furniture, tomusical instruments, to lumber for shelters,to artwork. These products from the wood oftrees being removed could be used to defraythe cost associated with the removal, makingtrees an even better investment.

ECOLOGIC BENEFITSBenefits often fall into more than one category.Such is the case for energy savings. Not onlydoes reducing energy consumption save money,it has ecological benefits as well. With reducedenergy consumption comes reduced pollution.

According to a publication by the USDA ForestService, urban forests provide four main airquality benefits:

• They absorb gaseous pollutants (e.g.,ozone, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide)through leaf surfaces.- Gaseous pollutants are absorbed through

leaf stomata during the normal exchangeof gases.

• They intercept particulate matter (e.g., dust,ash, pollen, smoke).- Moist leaf surfaces bind or dissolve

water-soluble pollutants.- Waxy, resinous, hairy, or scaly leaf

surfaces capture and store largerparticulates. Rough bark surfaces alsocapture and store particulates.

• They capture carbon dioxide and releaseoxygen through photosynthesis.

• They transpire water and shade surfaces,which lowers air temperatures, therebyreducing ozone levels.

Water runoff from rainfall is something most cityplanners have to deal with. However, most ofthe runoff control methods create a host ofproblems such as pollution, failure to rechargegroundwater, and loss of wildlife. Trees have apositive impact on this problem. For example:

• Leaves and branch surfaces intercept andstore rainfall, thereby reducing runoff volumesand delaying the onset of peak flows.

• Roots increase the rate at which soil absorbsrainfall and the capacity of soil to store water,thereby reducing runoff.

• Tree canopies reduce soil erosion bydiminishing the impact of raindrops onbarren surfaces.

• Transpiration through tree leaves reducesoil moisture, increasing the soil’s capacityto store rainfall.

More detailed information about the benefitsand costs of trees in Wisconsin can be foundin The Midwest Community Tree Guide:Benefits, Costs, and Strategic Planting.See the Recommended Resources sectionon page 163 for information on how to get thispublication (online).

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PROCEDUREINTRODUCTIONAsk students if they know what an urban forestand an ecosystem are. If they do not, discussthe definitions with them. (Urban Forest: All thetrees and other vegetation in and around a town,village, or city. Plants, people, and animals arepart of the urban forest. Ecosystem: An areathat contains organisms [e.g., plants, animals,bacteria] interacting with one another andtheir nonliving environment [e.g., climate, soil,topography].) Brainstorm a list of the thingsthat make up the ecosystem in an urban area.(People, animals, trees, grass, shrubs, sun,water, buildings, streets.) Discuss how they areconnected and interact together. (People buildbuildings and streets, feed animals, plant trees,trees provide food for animals, animals spreadseeds from shrubs, buildings and streets coverup soil, sun is needed by plants, etc.)

NOTE: If students need a more in-depth activityto grasp these ideas, consider using LEAFUrban Forest Supplement 5-8 Lesson 1, UrbanForest Connections instead of the Introductionlisted here.

ACTIVITY 1 – COST/BENEFIT ANALYSIS1. Tell students that trees and urban forests

benefit humans in different ways. Explainthat the benefits can be put into categories:economic, social, and ecologic. Describeeach. It is often difficult to list a benefit inonly one category. (For instance, a tree canprovide shade for a picnic and food forwildlife and therefore provide both social andecologic benefits.) Have the class brainstormways they think they benefit from havingtrees/urban forests. (Answers will vary.) Afteryou have heard a few suggestions, discussother ways trees and urban forests benefitus that they may not have thought of. UseTeacher Page A1, Benefits as the startingpoint for discussion of what trees and urbanforests do and how they do it. Write theheadings and key words (in all caps) on the

board as you lead the discussion. Note thatthese benefits are economic benefits, butmay have positive ecologic and socialbenefits as well. Be sure the discussionincludes why the benefits are important toyour students or the community.

2. Next have the class brainstorm the coststhey think might be involved in having treesaround. (Answers will vary.) Use TeacherPages A2A-B, Costs as a starting point fordiscussion of what it costs to have trees inour urban environments. Write the headingsand key words (in all caps) on the boardas you lead the discussion. These costsand explanations are used in the data thatstudents will use later in this activity.

3. Ask students to speculate which they thinkwill be greater, costs or benefits. (Answerswill vary.) Ask if they think there will be adifference between public tree and privatetree total costs/benefits. (Again, answers willvary.) Ask students to speculate which side ofa house (north, south, east, or west) a treeshould be planted to get the most benefits.(Answers will vary.)

4. Hand out Student Page !!1, Small TreeBenefits, Student Page !!2, Small TreeCosts, Student Page !!3, Large TreeBenefits, and Student Page !!4, Large TreeCosts to each student. Explain that theinformation on these charts came from astudy about the benefits and costs of treesin the Midwest. Explain that the data fromthis study are valid for a specific region thathas a particular climate. Explain how thetables are set up. The data on the studentpages use two sizes of tree, large and small.The tables include a description of size inheight of tree and width (spread) of thecanopy, and an example of a species thatfits the description.


Lesson 1 - What’s It Worth?

Each tree size has a table listing costs and atable listing benefits. The costs and benefitslisted on the tables are the ones discussed insteps one and two above. The benefits tableson Student Page !!2, Small Tree Costs andStudent Page !!4, Large Tree Costs separatetrees by their location in the yard (west,south, east). The tables also include publictrees. Benefits vary by location. The coststables on Student Page !!1, Small TreeBenefits and Student Page !!3, Large TreeBenefits do not separate trees by locationand only list “yard.” The cost of maintaininga tree is the same, regardless of the tree’slocation in the yard. The values listed ineach column are the average cost or benefitper year for the year listed at the top of thecolumn. For instance, the average coolingbenefits for a small tree on the west side ofa house in year 35 is $12.27 per year.

5. Hand out Student Page !!5, Cost/BenefitComparison to each student. Explain that theywill fill out the worksheet using information onthe charts. Explain that some numbers on thetables on their worksheet are already filled into save time. Describe what net benefits are,if needed. (Net benefits are total benefits minustotal costs.) Go over the steps that studentswill need to take to get the answers. Forinstance, to get $6 for the net benefits fora small tree on the west side of a houseat year 10, take the total benefit from thebottom row of the table on Student Page !!1,Small Tree Benefits ($8.56) and subtract thecost on the bottom row of Student Page!!2, Small Tree Costs ($2.54). Remindstudents that answers are rounded to thenearest dollar. Give students time to fill inthe worksheet.

6. Discuss the answers to the questions on theStudent Page !!5, Cost/Benefit Comparisonusing Teacher Page Ak3, Cost/Benefit

Comparison Key. Discuss how the answersthe data provided changed or supported theirthoughts on the things they speculated onin step 3. Ask students if they think the datasupport spending money to plant trees. (Yes.)

OPTION: Assign students to write an essayexplaining the cost/benefit relationship over40 years of small trees versus large trees.

NOTE: The Midwest Community Tree Guide:Benefits, Costs, and Strategic Planting is thesource for information for this activity. To make amore challenging activity, have students use theinformation it contains to further explore thissubject. See the Recommended Resourcessection on page 163 for more information aboutaccessing the material online.

ACTIVITY 2 – SOCIETAL BENEFITS1. Remind students that they just learned about

economic benefits of trees in urban forests.Tell students that the next activity will focuson social benefits of urban forests. Dividethe class into six groups. Each group shouldhave three to four students.

2. Assign each group one of the articles fromStudent Pages !!6A-F, Human-EnvironmentStudies. (NOTE: These articles focus on theimpacts trees have on people and socialproblems. You may wish to eliminate somearticles if your students would be offendedby them or sensitive to them.) Each studentshould have their own copy to read. Ask thegroups to read the article they have beengiven. They will need to identify the importantpoints of the article. List the points you wantthem to identify on the board.

• Who is the study about?• What was the study hoping to find?• Where was the study conducted?• What did they find out?

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3. After the groups have written down theinformation you have asked them to find, theyshould discuss the findings within their group.Write things on the board for them to discuss.

• Do they agree with the findings?• Can they relate in any way to the findings?

4. Ask each group to summarize what they readfor the class. As a class, discuss each articleas it is presented. The discussion shouldinclude the opinions of students as to why orwhy not the ideas presented in the articlesmight be important. Allow students to shareexperiences and thoughts.

NOTE: The readings for this activity arefrom research done by the Landscape andHuman Health Laboratory at the Universityof Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Completedescriptions of the research are available.See the Recommended Resources sectionfor information.

CONCLUSION – BEYOND THEURBAN FORESTConclude the lesson with a class discussionabout the benefits urban forests provide andhow they might relate to rural forests. (Definerural forests as needed.) Ask students whichurban forest benefits might also be provided byrural forests, and which urban forest benefits arenot provided by rural forests. List them on theboard. Ask students to discuss why they thinkthis might be the case. (Rural forests help slowrain fall and help prevent erosion, but sincethere are no storm sewers to maintain, they donot provide the same benefit. The reason weneed the stormwater treated in urban areas isthe concrete and lack of vegetation. There aren’tmany, if any, buildings with air conditioners, soenergy savings would not be a factor in ruralforests. Rural forests allow people to get benefitsto their mental and physical health when peopleuse them for recreation.)

LEAF LINKSThe lessons listed below, for the

LEAF Wisconsin K-12 Forestry EducationLesson Guide, contain possibleenhancements, extensions, or

replacements for Urban Forest LessonGuide: 9-12 Lesson 1.

UNIT 9-12 LESSON 4: THE FORESTMARKETPLACEStudents identify factors that influence thesupply of and demand for forest resourcesusing basic economic principles. Usingveneer as an example, students use graphsto describe markets in different geographicregions and examine the relationshipbetween Wisconsin’s forest resources andthose of the rest of the world.

Use 9-12 Lesson 4 following 9-12 Lesson 1of the Urban Forest Lesson Guide. It is a morein-depth study of forest-related economics.It also goes through a process of broadeningthe focus from Wisconsin to the world.



A1

BENEFITSTREES SAVE ENERGY• SHADE around buildings from trees helps

lower temperatures in buildings. This reducesthe amount of energy used to cool homesand businesses.

• Trees in WINDBREAKS can slow wind andprevent heat loss from wind, reducing theenergy needed to heat buildings.

• Shade and evapotranspiration help reduce theoverall temperature in an urban area duringwarm weather. Shade reduces the amount ofheat absorbed and retained by buildings,roads, parking lots, etc. This helps REDUCEthe HEAT ISLAND EFFECT and keep airtemperatures cooler, which reduces the energyneeded for cooling. Evapotranspiration convertsliquid water to a gas. This process absorbsenergy, therefore it cools surfaces. This issimilar to what happens when humans sweat.

TREES REDUCE ATMOSPHERICCARBON DIOXIDE• Trees SEQUESTER CARBON in their trunks

and branches. This keeps the carbon dioxideout of the atmosphere where it can contributeto global warming.

• Trees near buildings reduce demand for energyfor heating and cooling, thereby REDUCINGthe CARBON DIOXIDE created with thecreation of energy.

TREES PROVIDE AESTHETIC ANDOTHER BENEFITS• People PREFER TO SHOP in areas that have

trees and other plants.• PROPERTY VALUES INCREASE when there

are mature trees on the property.• Trees can ABSORB NOISE.• Trees PROVIDE FOOD AND SHELTER for

animals that live in urban areas.

TREES IMPROVE AIR QUALITY• Trees ABSORB AIR POLLUTION. They absorb

gaseous pollutants such as ozone, nitrogenoxides, and sulfur dioxide through their leaves.Tree leaves and rough branches and trunksintercept particulate matter such as dust, ash,pollen, and smoke. Air pollution is a serioushealth threat for humans. It can cause coughing,headaches, respiratory and heart diseases,and cancer.

• Trees RELEASE OXYGEN duringphotosynthesis.

• Trees transpire water (during photosynthesis)and shade surfaces, which COOLS THE AIRand thereby reduces ozone levels. Ozone cancause many human health problems.

TREES REDUCE STORMWATER RUNOFFAND IMPROVE WATER FLOW• Trees help PREVENT POLLUTION in

stormwater runoff from entering streams,lakes, and groundwater supplies. The leafand bark surfaces of trees collect some wateras it falls, preventing it from hitting the ground.They also slow water down so it has a chanceto soak into the soil and not run off.

• Tree roots IMPROVE the ability of SOIL toabsorb water. As the ability of the soil to absorbwater improves, runoff and therefore pollutionin lakes and streams is reduced.

• Tree canopies SLOW RAIN down as it falls sosoil erodes less.

• Trees pull moisture out of the soil and releaseit through transpiration (during photosynthesis)which INCREASES THE SOIL’S ABILITY TOHOLD MORE WATER. With the increasedwater holding capacity, runoff is reduced.


A2A

COSTS

PUBLIC TREES• Grow on public property.• Are the responsibility of a public agency

to maintain.• Include street trees, park trees, and trees

around publicly owned buildings.• Costs involve employee time. This both

increases and decreases cost of specifictasks, depending on the circumstances.

• Costs may include hiring professional treecare companies.

PRIVATE TREES• Grow on private property and are the

responsibility of a private landowner tomaintain.

• Include trees in yards and trees aroundbusinesses.

• Costs vary depending on the ability of anowner to do the work themselves. Somethings can be done by the property owner,which reduces costs, but costs are increasedwhen special equipment is needed and aprofessional is hired.

PLANTING• PURCHASE the tree, mulch, and materials to

stake the tree. Both private and public treesare impacted.

• HIRE someone to do the work. Public treesare usually planted by someone who is paid,although they may be planted by volunteers.Private trees are usually planted by thelandowner, although they may be plantedby someone the landowner hires.

PRUNING• PUBLIC trees are inspected and pruned by

EMPLOYEES who are being paid.• Pruning of older trees on private property

requires HIRING A PROFESSIONAL to dothe work. Younger trees are less likely to bepruned by a professional.

TREE AND STUMP REMOVAL• HIRE A PROFESSIONAL to remove a tree

and stump. Large trees on private propertyusually require a professional withspecialized skills and equipment to safelyremove the tree. Stumps are ground out withexpensive equipment by hired professionals.Public trees are sometimes removed by ahired professional, but often removed bypaid public employees.

PEST AND DISEASE CONTROL• Public and private trees are sometimes

treated for insects and diseases.

Public trees and private trees have different costs associated with them.The fundamental differences are listed below.



A2B

COSTSIRRIGATION• Newly planted trees need to be watered.

For public trees, this results in COSTS OFTHE WATER and potentially EMPLOYEETIME. For private trees, the costs are usuallyfor water only.

INFRASTRUCTURE CONFLICTS• Tree roots can damage SIDEWALKS and

SEWER systems, which cost money toREPAIR. Most damage occurs from publicstreet trees because of their location betweenthe sidewalk and street. This does not impactprivate trees often because they are usuallyfarther away from public sidewalks and sewers.

LIABILITY• Legal costs and payments are incurred due

to TRIP-AND-FALL CLAIMS. This refers topeople who trip and fall over tree roots onpublic property and take legal action to getcompensation for injuries.

LITTER AND STORM CLEANUP• Trees create litter that creates cost for

cleanup for things such as street cleaningand storm cleanup. This has impacton both public and private trees. Privateproperty owners often clean up litterthemselves while public tree litter is cleanedup by paid employees. Storm cleanup ismore of a cost for public trees becausethe responsibility for clearing roads falls topublic agencies.

ADMINISTRATION• For public trees, there are costs associated

with paying SALARIES for supervisors,clerical staff, and other office-relatedexpenses. These do not apply to private trees.


Ak3

COST/BENEFIT COMPARISON KEY

2. Which side of the house should a tree be planted on to get the most benefits from it onaverage? Why do you think this is? West. Cooling costs are lower when a house is shaded.As the sun goes down in the evening, a tree on the west side will shade more during thiswarm time of the day.

3. Overall, is the net benefit for planting and maintaining a small tree more or less than alarge tree? Why? The net benefit is more with a large tree. The costs associated with a largetree are about the same as a small tree, but the benefits it provides are greater because of its size.

4. The costs included in the data do not include the costs to utilities to prune trees that aregrowing into power lines. Would including that cost change the answer from question #3above? Why or why not? Yes. The costs for repeatedly pruning a large tree to keep it out of thepower lines would increase the overall cost with no additional benefits.

5. Why do public trees still have a negative net benefit at year 10 for small trees but not forlarge trees? Since large trees have a higher benefit compared to their cost, the net benefitincreases faster with large trees than small.

1. Fill in the following tables. Round answers to the nearest dollar.

ANNUAL NET BENEFITS PER SMALL TREE (22 ft. tall, 21 ft. spread)

NETBENEFITS

West Yard

South Yard

East Yard

Public

-$79

-$80

-$79

-$51

YEAR5

$6

$4

$5

-$6

YEAR10

$15

$7

$13

$2

YEAR15

$20

$7

$16

$0

YEAR20

$29

$14

$25

$10

YEAR25

$37

$21

$33

$19

YEAR30

$42

$21

$36

$24

YEAR35

$45

$22

$39

$28

YEAR40

$15

$3

$12

$4

40-YEARAVERAGE

ANNUAL NET BENEFITS PER LARGE TREE (47 ft. tall, 37 ft. spread)

NETBENEFITS

West Yard

South Yard

East Yard

Public

-$56

-$64

-$59

-$30

YEAR5

$50

$29

$43

$24

YEAR10

$72

$48

$64

$46

YEAR15

$87

$63

$79

$60

YEAR20

$100

$79

$93

$74

YEAR25

$110

$92

$104

$86

YEAR30

$116

$102

$111

$95

YEAR35

$123

$111

$118

$103

YEAR40

$76

$58

$70

$58

40-YEARAVERAGE



!!1

SMALL TREE BENEFITS

TOTALBENEFITS*West YardSouth YardEast Yard

Public

ANNUAL BENEFITS PER SMALL TREE (22 ft. tall, 21 ft. spread) e.g., crabapple

BENEFITS

COOLINGWest YardSouth YardEast Yard

Public

$0.48$0.33$0.37$0.33

$1.56$0.94$1.15$0.94

$4.23$2.10$2.87$1.96

$6.64$3.21$4.45$2.92

$8.64$4.68$6.06$4.21

$10.34$5.93$7.43$5.32

$12.27$7.16$8.88$6.24

$13.83$8.15

$10.04$6.97

$7.25$4.06$5.16$3.61

YEAR5

YEAR10

YEAR15

YEAR20

YEAR25

YEAR30

YEAR35

YEAR40

40-YEARAVERAGE*

HEATINGWest YardSouth YardEast Yard

Public

$1.45$1.13$1.38$1.55

$4.24$2.80$3.99$4.64

$8.40$3.39$7.80$9.58

$12.18$4.07

$11.27$14.04

$16.17$6.67

$15.08$18.45

$19.55$8.90

$18.30$22.18

$20.87$7.58

$19.47$24.20

$21.71$6.18

$20.18$25.62

$13.07$5.09

$12.18$15.03

NET CO2

West YardSouth YardEast Yard

Public

$0.25$0.20$0.23$0.24

$0.75$0.52$0.66$0.68

$1.67$0.88$1.40$1.42

$2.53$1.26$2.10$2.11

$3.42$1.94$2.92$2.93

$4.21$2.56$3.64$3.65

$4.95$2.94$4.29$4.29

$5.59$3.29$4.85$4.85

$2.92$1.70$2.51$2.52

$2.49$1.97$2.29$2.44

$8.56$6.27$7.82$8.52

$18.60$10.67$16.37$17.72

$28.34$15.52$24.81$26.80

$38.71$23.76$34.52$37.12

$47.94$31.24$43.22$46.42

$53.54$33.13$48.08$51.53

$58.03$34.52$51.97$55.59

$32.03$19.63$28.63$30.77

AIRPOLLUTIONAvoided andnet uptake

(includes ozone,nitrogen oxide,sulfur dioxide,

particulate matter,volatile organic

compounds,biogenic volatile

organiccompounds)

$0.18 $0.54 $1.35 $2.26 $3.48 $4.33 $5.26 $6.09 $2.94

WATERFLOWRainfall

interception

$0.04 $0.14 $0.38 $0.66 $1.15 $1.64 $2.78 $3.95 $1.34

AESTHETICSAND OTHER

YardPublic

$0.09$0.11

$1.33$1.58

$2.57$3.03

$4.07$4.80

$5.83$6.89

$7.86$9.29

$7.40$8.75

$6.86$8.10

$4.50$5.32

* Numbers on this table are calculated from raw data. They may not add up due to differences in rounding.


!!2

SMALL TREE COSTSANNUAL COSTS PER SMALL TREE (22 ft. tall, 21 ft. spread) e.g., crabapple

COSTS

TREE ANDPLANTING

YardPublic

$80.00$40.00

$0.00$0.00

$0.00$0.00

$0.00$0.00

$0.00$0.00

$0.00$0.00

$0.00$0.00

$0.00$0.00

$10.00$5.00

YEAR5

YEAR10

YEAR15

YEAR20

YEAR25

YEAR30

YEAR35

YEAR40

40-YEARAVERAGE*

PRUNINGYard

Public$0.17

$11.88$0.32

$11.25$0.30

$10.63$3.84

$20.00$3.60

$18.75$3.36

$17.50$3.12

$16.25$2.88

$15.00$2.08

$15.04

REMOVE ANDDISPOSE

YardPublic

$0.84$0.63

$1.74$1.30

$2.70$2.02

$3.72$2.79

$4.80$3.60

$5.94$4.45

$7.14$5.35

$8.40$6.30

$4.01$3.03

PEST ANDDISEASE

YardPublic

$0.19$0.01

$0.38$0.03

$0.55$0.04

$0.72$0.05

$0.87$0.07

$1.00$0.08

$1.12$0.09

$1.22$0.09

$0.70$0.05

INFRASTRUC-TURE REPAIR

YardPublic

$0.05$0.24

IRRIGATIONYard

Public

PR$0.38$0.38

$0.00$0.00

$0.00$0.00

$0.00$0.00

$0.00$0.00

$0.00$0.00

$0.00$0.00

$0.00$0.00

$0.05$0.05

CLEANUPYard

Public$0.00$0.01

LIABILITYAND LEGAL

YardPublic

$0.00$0.02

$0.01$0.03

$0.01$0.05

$0.01$0.05

$0.01$0.06

$0.01$0.06

$0.01$0.06

$0.01$0.06

$0.01$0.05

ADMINISTRATIONAND OTHER

YardPublic

$0.00$0.76

TOTAL COSTS*Yard

Public$81.64$53.93

$2.54$14.60

$3.71$15.64

$8.47$26.66

$9.50$27.02

$10.57$27.35

$11.68$27.62

$12.82$27.83

$17.02$26.87

$0.00$1.49

$0.00$2.18

$0.00$2.83

$0.00$3.42

$0.00$3.96

$0.00$4.42

$0.00$4.79

$0.00$2.75

$0.00$0.02

$0.00$0.02

$0.01$0.03

$0.01$0.04

$0.01$0.05

$0.01$0.05

$0.01$0.05

$0.01$0.03

$0.09$0.47

$0.14$0.69

$0.18$0.90

$0.22$1.09

$0.25$1.26

$0.28$1.40

$0.30$1.52

$0.17$0.87


TOTALBENEFITS*West YardSouth YardEast Yard

Public



!!3

LARGE TREE BENEFITSANNUAL BENEFITS PER LARGE TREE (47 ft. tall, 37 ft. spread) e.g., hackberry

BENEFITS

COOLINGWest YardSouth YardEast Yard

Public

$5.61$2.25$3.60$1.99

$14.30$6.35$9.38$4.85

$19.29$10.63$13.71$7.85

$22.82$14.49$17.02$10.37

$24.51$17.66$18.98$12.22

$25.26$19.98$20.24$13.95

$25.36$21.49$20.90$15.22

$25.26$22.15$21.22$16.06

$20.30$14.38$15.63$10.31

YEAR5

YEAR10

YEAR15

YEAR20

YEAR25

YEAR30

YEAR35

YEAR40

40-YEARAVERAGE*

HEATINGWest YardSouth YardEast Yard

Public

$9.19$4.88$8.53

$10.20

$19.47$8.67

$18.21$21.91

$27.22$14.35$26.09$30.34

$33.32$19.91$32.44$36.81

$37.20$25.04$36.67$40.66

$39.48$28.96$39.22$42.69

$40.54$31.62$40.49$43.45

$40.23$32.70$40.25$42.85

$30.83$20.77$30.24$33.61

NET CO2

West YardSouth YardEast Yard

Public

$1.81$0.89$1.43$1.33

$4.26$2.03$3.37$2.98

$5.98$3.45$5.00$4.45

$7.34$4.82$6.34$5.68

$8.22$6.04$7.30$6.59

$8.78$7.00$7.96$7.28

$9.10$7.68$8.39$7.75

$9.19$8.02$8.55$7.96

$6.84$4.99$6.04$5.50

$27.41$19.12$24.66$26.26

$59.06$38.07$51.98$53.62

$82.65$58.59$74.96$76.60

$102.04$77.77$94.36$95.93

$116.21$95.01

$109.22$110.76

$127.17$109.59$121.08$122.89

$134.91$120.72$129.69$131.79

$142.28$130.46$137.63$139.93

$99.01$81.17$92.95$94.72

AIRPOLLUTIONAvoided andnet uptake

(includes ozone,nitrogen oxide,sulfur dioxide,

particulate matter,volatile organic

compounds,biogenic volatile

organiccompounds)

$1.42 $3.59 $5.51 $7.30 $8.81 $10.24 $11.52 $12.80 $7.65

WATERFLOWRainfall

interception

$0.61 $1.72 $3.71 $6.41 $9.87 $14.13 $18.34 $24.78 $9.95

AESTHETICSAND OTHER

YardPublic

$9.07$10.71

$15.72$18.57

$20.93$24.73

$24.85$29.36

$27.59$32.60

$29.29$34.60

$30.06$35.51

$30.02$35.47

$23.44$27.69



!!4

LARGE TREE COSTSANNUAL COSTS PER LARGE TREE (47 ft. tall, 37 ft. spread) e.g., hackberry

COSTS

TREE ANDPLANTING

YardPublic

$80.00$40.00

$0.00$0.00

$0.00$0.00

$0.00$0.00

$0.00$0.00

$0.00$0.00

$0.00$0.00

$0.00$0.00

$10.00$5.00

YEAR5

YEAR10

YEAR15

YEAR20

YEAR25

YEAR30

YEAR35

YEAR40

40-YEARAVERAGE*

PRUNINGYard

Public$0.34

$11.88$4.32

$22.50$4.08

$21.25

PR$6.86

$24.00$6.43

$22.50$6.00

$21.00$5.57

$19.50$5.14

$18.00$4.96

$20.61

REMOVE ANDDISPOSE

YardPublic

$2.02$1.51

$3.60$2.70

$5.14$3.85

$6.62$4.97

$8.05$6.04

$9.44$7.08

$10.77$8.08

$12.05$9.04

$6.59$4.96

PEST ANDDISEASE

YardPublic

$0.46$0.04

$0.78$0.06

$1.06$0.08

$1.28$0.10

$1.46$0.11

$1.60$0.12

$1.69$0.13

$1.75$0.13

$1.18$0.09

INFRASTRUC-TURE REPAIR

YardPublic

$0.12$0.58

IRRIGATIONYard

Public$0.38$0.38

$0.00$0.00

$0.00$0.00

$0.00$0.00

$0.00$0.00

$0.00$0.00

$0.00$0.00

$0.00$0.00

$0.05$0.05

CLEANUPYard

Public$0.00$0.02

LIABILITYAND LEGAL

YardPublic

$0.01$0.06

$0.02$0.08

$0.02$0.10

$0.02$0.11

$0.02$0.12

$0.02$0.12

$0.03$0.13

$0.02$0.12

$0.02$0.10

ADMINISTRATIONAND OTHER

YardPublic

$0.00$1.83

TOTAL COSTS*Yard

Public$83.33$56.29

$8.93$29.45

$10.57$30.81

$15.11$35.88

$16.34$35.87

$17.47$36.68

$18.49$36.68

$19.42$36.44

$23.10$36.99

$0.00$3.09

$0.00$4.16

$0.00$5.04

$0.00$5.75

$0.00$6.29

$0.00$6.66

$0.00$6.88

$0.00$4.65

$0.01$0.04

$0.01$0.05

$0.01$0.06

$0.01$0.07

$0.01$0.07

$0.02$0.08

$0.02$0.08

$0.01$0.05

$0.20$0.98

$0.26$1.32

$0.32$1.60

$0.37$1.83

TREE

$0.40$2.00

$0.42$2.12

$0.44$2.19

$0.30$1.48




!!5

COST/BENEFIT COMPARISON

2. Which side of the house should a tree be planted on to get the most benefits from it onaverage? Why do you think this is? West. Cooling costs are lower when a house is shaded.As the sun goes down in the evening, a tree on the west side will shade more during thiswarm time of the day.

3. Overall, is the net benefit for planting and maintaining a small tree more or less than alarge tree? Why? The net benefit is more with a large tree. The costs associated with a largetree are about the same as a small tree, but the benefits it provides are greater because of its size.

4. The costs included in the data do not include the costs to utilities to prune trees that aregrowing into power lines. Would including that cost change the answer from question #3above? Why or why not? Yes. The costs for repeatedly pruning a large tree to keep it out of thepower lines would increase the overall cost with no additional benefits.

5. Why do public trees still have a negative net benefit at year 10 for small trees but not forlarge trees? Since large trees have a higher benefit compared to their cost, the net benefitincreases faster with large trees than small.

1. Fill in the following tables. Round answers to the nearest dollar.

ANNUAL NET BENEFITS PER SMALL TREE (22 ft. tall, 21 ft. spread)

NETBENEFITS

West Yard

South Yard

East Yard

Public

YEAR5

$6

$4

$5

-$6

YEAR10

$15

$7

$13

$2

YEAR15

$20

$7

$16

$0

YEAR20

YEAR25

$37

$21

$33

$19

YEAR30

$42

$21

$36

$24

YEAR35

$45

$22

$39

$28

YEAR40

40-YEARAVERAGE

ANNUAL NET BENEFITS PER LARGE TREE (47 ft. tall, 37 ft. spread)

NETBENEFITS

West Yard

South Yard

East Yard

Public

YEAR5

$50

$29

$43

$24

YEAR10

$72

$48

$64

$46

YEAR15

$87

$63

$79

$60

YEAR20

YEAR25

$110

$92

$104

$86

YEAR30

$116

$102

$111

$95

YEAR35

$123

$111

$118

$103

YEAR40

40-YEARAVERAGE


!!6A

HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT STUDIES

This information is from Coping with ADD: The Surprising Connection to Green Play Settings.Environment and Behavior. Vol. 33 No. 1. January 2001. 54-77.

© 2001 Sage Publications, Inc.

For more information on this study, go to www.lhhl.uiuc.edu or contact the University of Illinois atUrbana-Champaign, Human Environmental Resources Laboratory, 1103 South Dorner Drive,

Urbana, Illinois 61801. Research funding provided by the National Urban and Community ForestryAdvisory Council, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service and the University of Illinois.

Used with permission.

A study by University of Illinois researchers Andrea Faber Taylor, Frances E. Kuo andWilliam C. Sullivan has revealed that the symptoms of children with Attention DeficitDisorder (ADD) are relieved after contact with nature. The greener the setting, the morethe relief.

By comparison, activities indoors, such as watching TV, or outdoors in paved, non-greenareas leave ADD children functioning worse.

More than two million children in the United States suffer from ADD. They have chronicdifficulty paying attention and focusing on tasks. ADD causes children to be impulsive,prone to outbursts and sometimes to be aggressive. Often their behavior results infamily conflict, peer rejection and academic failure.

Maintaining trees and greenery near home and encouraging ADD kids to go out andplay may be a compelling approach to help ADD kids function better.

GO OUT AND PLAYNATURE ADDS UP FOR ADD KIDS



!!6B


This information is from Environment and Crime in the Inner City: Does Vegetation Reduce Crime?Environment and Behavior. Vol. 33 No. 3, May 2001. 343-367.

© 2001 Sage Publications, Inc.




A study of a Chicago public housing development by University of Illinois researchersFrances E. Kuo and William C. Sullivan has found that apartment buildings surroundedby trees and greenery are dramatically safer than buildings devoid of green. The greenerthe surroundings, the fewer crimes occur against people and property.

Compared with apartment buildings that had little or no vegetation, buildings with highlevels of greenery had 52 percent fewer total crimes, including 48 percent fewer propertycrimes and 56 percent fewer violent crimes. Even modest amounts of greenery wereassociated with lower crime rates. Several factors combine to explain why this is so.

Greenery helps people to relax and renew, reducing aggression. Green spaces bringpeople together outdoors. Their presence increases surveillance and discouragescriminals. The green and groomed appearance of an apartment building is a cue thatowners and residents care about a property, and watch over it and each other.

GREEN STREETS, NOT MEAN STREETSVEGETATION MAY CUT CRIME IN THE INNER CITY


!!6C


This information is from Views of Nature and Self-Discipline: Evidence from Inner City Children, partof the Growing Hope archive, a multi-study research project examining the effects of the physical

environment on mothers and children living in urban public housing.




A study by University of Illinois researchers Andrea Faber Taylor, Frances E. Kuo andWilliam C. Sullivan has found that the greener and more natural a girl’s view from home,the better she scores on tests of self-discipline. The greater a girl’s self-discipline, themore likely she is to do well in school, to avoid unhealthy or risky behaviors and tobehave in ways that foster life success.

The study tested parent-child pairs who live in inner city public housing. Children weretested on the components of self-discipline: the abilities to concentrate, to inhibitimpulsive behavior and to delay gratification. Parents assessed the amounts of natureand of paved and human-built surfaces visible through their windows.

Boys showed no link between test scores and nature near home, but for girls, onaverage, the greener the view the higher the scores. Maintaining trees and greeneryat home may help support in girls the self-discipline they need to succeed.

GIRLS AND GREENERYVIEWS OF GREEN HELP GIRLS SUCCEED



!!6D


SHOUT Module #6: Violence Blurb 1A Copy Version #1 August 14, 2002




A study by University of Illinois scientists Frances E. Kuo and William C. Sullivan findsthat inner-city families with trees and greenery in their immediate outdoor surroundingshave safer domestic environments than families who live in buildings that are barrenof nature.

The study examined the relationship between the outdoor environment and familyviolence in a public housing project. Levels of aggression and violence were significantlylower among residents who had some nearby nature outside their apartments thanamong residents who lived in barren conditions. Mental fatigue was a key factor. Themore fatigued a resident was, the more aggression and violence she reported. Residentsliving in greener apartments were systematically less fatigued than neighbors living inbarren surroundings.

Exposure to trees and greenery reduces mental fatigue and feelings of irritability thatcome with it. The ability to concentrate is refreshed, along with the ability and willingnessto deal with problems thoughtfully and less aggressively. It seems that trees and greenerycool more than outdoor temperatures; they help cool tempers as well.

COOLER IN THE SHADEAGGRESSION AND VIOLENCE ARE REDUCED WITH NATURE NEARBY


!!6E


SHOUT Module #4: Neighbors Blurb Copy Version #2 February 5, 2002

© 2002. University of Illinois. All rights reserved.




A scientific study by researchers Frances E. Kuo, William C. Sullivan, Rebekah LevineColey and Liesette Brunson has found that, in the inner city, residential spaces with treesand greenery help to build strong neighborhoods. Residents of buildings with morevegetation know their neighbors better, socialize with them more often, have strongerfeelings of community, and feel safer and better adjusted than do residents of buildingswith little or no vegetation.

When the spaces next to residences are green, they are enjoyed and used heavily. Suchsettings support frequent, friendly interaction among neighbors and nurture neighborhoodsocial ties. These ties are the heart of a neighborhood’s strength.

When neighborhood social ties are strong, residents help and protect each other.Because the support of neighbors is vital to poor inner city families, it is especiallyimportant that their neighborhoods be green.

NICE TO SEE YOUHOW TREES BUILD A NEIGHBORHOOD



!!6F


SHOUT Module #5: Poverty Blurb Copy Version #1 May 17, 2002




A study by University of Illinois scientist Dr. Frances E. Kuo has found that the physicalfeatures of the inner city landscape may affect the functioning of its inhabitants. Whentrees and greenery are immediately outside their apartments, inner city residents copebetter with the demands of living in poverty, feel more hopeful about the future, andmanage their most important problems more effectively.

Compared with residents whose apartment buildings were barren of greenery, residentswith green surroundings scored higher on a test of concentration, reported greatereffectiveness and less procrastination in addressing their life issues, and found theirissues to be less difficult and longstanding.

Exposure to green surroundings refreshes the ability to concentrate, leading to greatereffectiveness. Even small amounts of greenery – a few trees and a patch of grass – helpinner city residents to feel and do better.

GREEN RELIEFTREES EASE POVERTY IN INNER CITY NEIGHBORHOODS

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