Why More Cities Need To Add Up The Economic Value Of Trees

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Not just a way to beat the heat, urban forests also reduce air pollution and provide other services for the economy. kiddocone/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

Your parents were wrong: money does grow on trees.

Cities routinely rake up tens of millions of dollars from their urban forests annually in ways that are not always obvious. Leafy canopies lower summer air conditioning bills, but more shade also means less blade to maintain thousands of acres of grass. Health-wise, trees contribute to lower asthma rates and birth defects by removing air pollutants.