Houston's Urban Forest Worth Big Bucks
Monday, October 24, 2005
By: Jack Williams

Money doesn't grow on trees, but it might seem like it judging from the results of a new report that shows Houston's urban forest is worth billions of dollars. as Houston Public Radio's Jack Williams reports, the study also puts a number on how valuable trees are to the environment.

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It took over four years, but the Texas Forest Service was able to count the trees in Houston and actually put a monetary number on what they're worth. According to the report, there are 663 million trees in the 8-county Houston region valued at over $205 billion. Pete Smith is the partnership coordinator with the Texas Forest Service. "That speaks volumes as to what they're really worth. That's just in the landscape. $456 million of annual environmental benefits, that's a big number. We really didn't have a good idea that trees were worth that much to us," he says.

Smith says the trees store $721 million worth of carbon and remove over 60,000 tons of air pollution every year.

The report points out that while Houston has an impressive urban forest canopy, 17-percent of those trees have been lost since 1992, a total of around 78 million trees. The losses are due in part to changes in how land is used and also because of invasive species of trees that are wiping out other species. Texas Forest Service Director Jim Hull says philosophies are changing. "In the past, maybe there could have been some things done that would have maintained some of these trees, but we're really looking now at establishing a baseline for the future," he says.

Two new state laws encourage tree planting and power companies are urging businesses and residents to plant trees around homes and buildings to reduce electricity consumption. Kathy Lord is with the non-profit group Trees for Houston and says the new numbers confirm their message. "I think it substantiates everything that we've talked about. It gives some scientific proof and it is very important for the Environmental Protection Agency because now they understand the real value of our urban forest," says Lord.

So far this year, the city and its partners have planted over 20,000 new trees, with more projects slated for this Fall. Parks and Recreation Director Joe Turner says the tree message is like preaching to the choir for him. "Anytime you have real numbers, it's easier to educate the public on where you're going and where you've been. With the numbers that we have, it's going to be very easy to show the value and the use of trees."