Important Alert
Board Member
Tracy Bivins – Council Representative
Term: September 2025 – March 2027
Board Member
Cole Lutz – Public Works Director
Term: September 2025 – March 2027
Board Member
Gail Hollinger
Term: September 2025 – March 2027
Board Member
Jordan Malkov
Term: September 2025 – March 2027
Board Member
Eric Whittredge
Term: September 2025 – March 2027
Board Member
Mike Connor
Term: September 2025 – March 2027
If you landed on this page, you very likely have an interest in our community’s trees, or what is known as the urban forest, that is, a collection of trees in cities and suburban areas, including trees in residential properties, along city streets and those planted in parks. These trees add a great deal of esthetic beauty to our communities, but they have other significant value. Robert Bardon, associate dean for extension at the College of Natural Resources, provided this summary of the many environmental, economic and social benefits these forests provide.
REDUCED ENERGY COSTS:
Urban trees create a 7% reduction in the energy used for heating and cooling U.S. homes. “If you have shade trees around your home, you pay less in energy costs, especially during the summer,” Bardon says. Researchers at the USDA’s Forest Service found that U.S. urban forests save $7.8 billion annually in avoided residential heating and cooling costs and an additional $3.9 billion in avoided emissions.
CARBON STORAGE
A mature tree can absorb 48 pounds of carbon dioxide annually, about the equivalent of driving 50 miles. This carbon remains in the tree’s tissues until it is burned or decomposes.
DECREASED RUNOFF
Trees significantly reduce runoff by taking up water through their roots. In fact, runoff from an area covered in impervious surface is five times that of a forested watershed of the same size. Reduced runoff leads to improved water quality, as it reduces the amount of polluted runoff that enters our waterways. Urban forests also reduce the risk of flooding and promote the restoration of groundwater.
INCREASED PROPERTY VALUES
In addition to providing economic benefits at the community level, trees also benefit individual homeowners. “At the homeowner level, a tree on your landscape or around your house can increase the dollar value received for your home if you’re selling it,” Bardon said. According to one study, a tree planted in the front yard can increase a home’s sale price by $7,130 and raise the sale prices of surrounding homes. Healthy urban forests also correlate with higher incomes, according to Bardon. “In communities that have thriving urban forests, you often see higher incomes, higher numbers of jobs associated with those communities, and higher productivity of workers,” he said.
IMPROVED MENTAL WELL-BEING:
Researchers continue to find that spending more time in nature can improve mental health. Trees help us to relax, and urban forests create valuable outdoor spaces for recreation, according to Bardon. “Trees help us to enjoy the outdoors more,” he said. “We’re more likely to go outdoors and our kids are more likely to play in the outdoors when there are trees in the environment.” Studies have even shown that urban forests help hospital patients recover more quickly; patients staying in rooms with windows and views of surrounding trees recover faster than those without these views, according to Bardon.
It is estimated that 83% of the U.S. population lives in urban areas, up from 81% ten years ago. Over this same time frame, urban populations grew by more than 12.1%, outpacing the national growth average of just 9.7%. Clearly, we are becoming a more urbanized nation. Because of these growth patterns, urban forests are more important than ever – they are the trees outside our front doors. They are dynamic ecosystems providing critical benefits to our communities.
If you are interested in becoming part of the Wayland Tree Board, please contact City Hall. We are actively looking for new members.