Trees outstrip most people in the extent and depth of their work for the public good. -- Sara Ebenreck, American Forests

Perhaps the greatest gift of trees is that they bring people together.  Woodland’s 2007 Arbor Day on March 10^th was such a coming together, when the City of Trees gathered around trees.  I am sorry if you missed it.  A large variety of community organizations were involved in the celebration of trees. 

The Shakespeare Club kicked off the day by rededicating a brass plaque at City Park in honor of a valley oak planted exactly100-years before by early members of the same Shakespeare Club.  The Woodland Tree Foundation planted a new centennial-tree-to-be at the Park a few paces away.   Across town, the Sunrise Rotary Club planted 20 trees at Crawford Park.  Arbor Day was off to a leafy start.

Back at the Gibson House, the Yolo County Historical Museum hosted the main event, where the Gibson Gardeners conducted a Victorian and native plant sale; UC Master Gardeners offered gardening advice; Warren Roberts, Superintendent of the UC Davis Arboretum led garden tours; Sunrise Rotary cooked up a BBQ lunch; games were offered to children; live music played by a variety of local bands; composting demonstrations were held by the City; and, various booths provided information, useful gadgets, free seeds and seedlings, and more.  It was a team effort.

And, the children were everywhere.  I ran a tree quiz table where kids tested and expanded their knowledge on trees.  Their reward for a completed quiz was a redwood or oak seedling to take home, or to school, to plant.  What better investment in the future than teaching children to plant trees!

Does community building seem a rather intangible benefit of trees?  Perhaps, but science has documented it.  Research convinced the City of Chicago to plant 20,000 trees to reduce domestic violence and child abuse.  Other studies have shown that residents who live near trees have significantly better relations with, and stronger ties to, their neighbors.  Medical researchers have shown that patients convalescing in view of trees recover much faster than those who don’t.  These studies have shown that the goodwill and sense of well being that I experienced on Arbor Day is real.  But then, those of us who enjoy a lazy afternoon in a hammock stretched between two trees already know that.

The annual celebration of Arbor Day notwithstanding, many California cities, including Woodland, have dramatically cut tree planting and maintenance programs in the face of declining tax revenues and the rising costs of services.

In an effort to understand the wisdom of such cuts, Dr. E. Gregory McPherson, a U.S. Forest Service urban forestry researcher stationed at the University of California, has studied the costs and benefits of city tree programs.  McPherson has found that trees more than pay their way. He reported that in Chicago the value of trees outweigh their costs by nearly three to one.  Closer to home, McPherson discovered that the City of Modesto’s tree program yielded public benefits valued at nearly twice what it cost to provide them.

The costs of trees are fairly straightforward.  Trees must be bought and planted; pruned and watered.  Sidewalk damage they can cause must be repaired; their diseases treated; their leaves collected and disposed of; and, eventually when they have lived out their lives, they must be removed.

But, can any of us place a dollar value on their many benefits?  Dr. McPherson has.  Below, and in the next Town and Trees column, I will enumerate the many valued services that trees provide.

Protecting Property and Public Health and Safety

Trees are often blamed for the destruction of curbs and sidewalks, but trees can also extend the life of street paving.  A shaded asphalt street can get by with less than half of the maintenance required for un-shaded streets.  Similarly, paint jobs on homes last much longer if they are shaded.  Even our skin will last longer if shaded from the sun’s rays.

Streets lined with trees serve to calm and slow traffic, reducing vehicular accidents and improving pedestrian safety.

Business Development

Michigan State University studies have also shown that trees can attract businesses and shoppers to a community, and that people are more likely to linger and shop along tree-line streets.  They also found that apartments and offices in wooded areas rent more quickly and have higher occupancy rates.  Similarly, they discovered that businesses surrounded by trees have more productive workers.

Speaking of productive workers, it is time for me to go to bed.  Stay tuned; I’ll finish this discussion next month.