Trees and San Antonio's Urban EcosystemSan Antonio's urban forest is a natural life-support system that sustains our air and water resources and contributes to the health and quality of life of our people.
Although it is difficult to put a price on the many benefits we receive from our green infrastructure, recent Urban Ecosystem Analyses conducted in San Antonio have quantified three of them: air pollution removal, stormwater management, and energy usage reduction. Figures in the tables below are derived from those studies.
Value of trees in the
Greater San Antonio Area (2001) |
Benefits an average
homeowner's trees provide |
| Stormwater management |
$1,300,000,000 |
| Air pollution removal |
$1,612,000,000 |
| Energy usage reduction |
$ 420,000,000 |
| Total |
$3,332,000,000 |
| Air pollution removal is a present value assuming 7.2% annual health care cost inflation discounted by assuming 10% annual time value of money |
|
| Utility Bill Savings |
$ 1,400 |
| Stormwater management |
$ 1,750 |
| Air Pollution Removal |
$ 1,860 |
| Added Property Value |
$ 6,500 |
| Total |
$11,500 |
| Preservation costs per house |
$ 830 |
|
More about trees and environmental health
Trees and the Urban Heat Island effect - how tree destruction affects our weather
Urban Ecosystem Analyses for San Antonio - scientific studies of our urban forest
Talking Trees - An Urban Forestry Toolkit for Local Governments
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