The Costs of Managing an Urban Forest
By Francisco Escobedo and Jennifer Seitz
Gainesville, FL (July 1, 2009)- Urban forests provide numerous benefits to society. They improve human health, environmental quality, and even local economies by increasing property values and aesthetics in communities. Research has shown that urban forests help cities control storm water, reduce air pollution and energy costs, and offset carbon dioxide emissions.
Urban forests, however, do present some associated costs of their own, so we need to manage for and mitigate their occasional harmful effects on natural forests and people (Table 1) (Lyytimäki and others 2008). Understanding these costs is just as important as determining the benefits of an urban forest. An accurate assessment of an urban forest's costs can assist decision makers to better understand the role the forest plays in improving the well-being of the community.
Identifying how funding is used can also help communities minimize costs and increase benefits. This fact sheet will review some of the types of costs associated with urban forests and present typical financial costs associated with urban forest management in the city of Gainesville, Florida.
Related Resource:
The Costs of Managing an Urban Forest
