Northeast Community Tree Guide: Benefits, Costs, and Strategic Planting

This report quantifies benefits and costs for small, medium, and large deciduous trees and one coniferous tree in the Northeast region: the species chosen as representative are Kwanzan cherry, red maple, Japanese zelkova, and eastern white pine, respectively (see “Common and Scientific Names” section). The analysis describes “yard” trees (those planted in residential sites) and “public trees” (those planted on streets or in parks).

"Trees make our cities more attractive and provide many ecosystem services, including air quality improvement, energy conservation, stormwater interception, and atmospheric carbon dioxide reduction. These benefits must be weighed against the costs of maintaining trees, including planting, pruning, irrigation, administration, pest control, liability, cleanup, and removal. We present benefits and costs for representative small, medium, and large deciduous trees and coniferous trees in the Northeast region derived from models based on indepth research carried out in the borough of Queens, New York City. Average annual net benefits (benefits minus costs) increase with mature tree size and differ based on location: $5 (yard) to $9 (public) for a small tree, $36 (yard) to $52 (public) for a medium tree, $85 (yard) to $113 (public) for a large tree, $21 (yard) to $33 (public) for a conifer. Two hypothetical examples of planting projects are described to illustrate how the data in this guide can be adapted to local uses, and guidelines for maximizing benefits and reducing costs are given." [Abstract]

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