Urban Forestry's Return on Investment: Tying Residential Nature to Health Care Expenditures

Dozens of studies involving millions of people document the connection between urban forests and human health: in greener places, people are healthier.

We propose a project which has the potential to generate the single most powerful argument for urban and community forestry yet. Dozens of studies involving millions of people document the connection between urban forests and human health: in greener places, people are healthier. It is time to document the effects of these forests on actual health care savings. In this project, we work with one of the largest health insurers to examine the impacts of urban forestry on actual health care costs in nearly 4,000,000 people. LiDAR, state-of-the-art technology, allows us to characterize forests in 3D detail. The specific context of this study (Northern California) allows us to examine, in microcosm, the impacts of all major forms of U.S. urban forests on all major population groups, giving the findings direct national relevance. We focus extensively on technology transfer of results to policymakers and the public. We will: (1) document the impact of urban forestry on health care savings, particularly as it relates to underserved communities; (2) quantify how this impact differs by urban forest structure, subsequently providing management/maintenance best practices; and (3) produce a free, online urban forestry return-on investment model (through Natural Capital’s InVEST) usable by communities across the nation.

Final Report Download

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