What is My Tree Doing for Me?

The trees that line our streets, surround our homes, and grow in our community parks provide a wealth of benefits, but are often taken for granted. Sometimes they are even blamed and removed for maintenance issues such as dropping fruit or leaves, blocking shop signs, or lifting sidewalks. 

In an effort to better understand and translate the value of the tree benefits we all take for granted, the USDA Forest Service supported urban tree research over thirty years ago that provided the backbone of i-Tree, a state-of-the-art, peer-reviewed software suite that allows urban forest managers to quantify the environmental benefits (or ecosystem services) provided by urban trees. Since its initial release in 2004, i-Tree Tools has helped thousands of communities and non-profit organizations around the world measure and report the value of urban trees and forests. It is only through a better understanding of the ecosystem services provided by trees that municipal officials and decision-makers can begin to value, protect, and properly manage trees in urban settings.

So, what if you are a homeowner and just want to determine what benefits your backyard or street trees are providing for you and your family? The USDA Forest Service created a model and easy-to-use website for individual trees, called MyTree. All that is needed is the tree's diameter measured at breast height or 4.5 feet from the ground (DBH), species, and location. That information can easily be collected by a homeowner and entered into the MyTree software, quickly producing a report illustrating the multiple benefits that single tree provides to the house and residents. The report includes the carbon removed from the atmosphere each year,  air pollution removed, stormwater intercepted and runoff avoided, and energy saved (heating and electricity) because the tree is adjacent to a house. If you have several trees on the property, the software allows you to add additional trees and will quantify their benefits.

This healthy, large pin oak growing in a 6-foot-wide tree lawn is improving the quality of life for the residents.

Let’s look at a 38" diameter healthy pin oak growing on the streets of Kingston, Pennsylvania. That large healthy oak tree, that drops lots of acorns and leaves each year, also removes 382 lbs. of carbon dioxide each year, intercepts 4,187 gallons of rainfall that would otherwise be stormwater falling on the street if the tree were not there, removes numerous air pollutants, and saves 156 kWh of electricity and 280,000 Btu of heating fuel. That big tree is also storing over 5,000 lbs. of carbon in the form of wood, the equivalent of 19,034 lbs. of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. This single large street tree is not only helping the residents of the adjacent home, but also combating climate change at the local level by sequestering and storing carbon dioxide each year, shading and cooling the neighborhood, and reducing stormwater and street flooding.

If we add this street tree to a larger inventory of 1,877 trees in Kingston, we find that together they are intercepting over 4 million gallons of stormwater, conserving 2.3 million kWh of energy, removing 4,700 lbs. of air pollution, and 1.1 million pounds of carbon dioxide each and every year. Combined, those 1,877 street trees are saving residents $162,804 annually.

Start by examining the trees in your yard using MyTree software and consider expanding the assessment to park trees or street trees in your neighborhood or municipality using iTree. Consider getting local students and volunteers involved in collecting the tree data using phones or tablets. Reach out to your local DCNR Forester for assistance. And most importantly, share your findings with local municipal officials, and residents.