Taking Ecosystems for Granted

Lara Miller, 
Natural Resources Agent

Photo Source: http://www.earthgauge.net/

As promised in my last posting about fire, today I will discuss the benefits of ecosystems as a whole. Many of us enjoy recreating in nature, but are we missing out on something bigger and better? Is there more to the environment than we think? The answer is probably yes! As consumers of natural resources, it is important to understand the true value of ecosystems. By applying a monetary value to the services provided by nature, we may begin to view the world differently. Ecosystem services are benefits that people obtain from natural systems. Placing a monetary value on these services allows economists to compare the value of undeveloped land such as a park or preserve to developed land such as a shopping mall or apartment complex. In other words, we can now compare apples to apples instead of apples to oranges. The idea of assigning a value to ecosystem services is relatively new and still being developed, but it represents a big step for folks trying to conserve lands around the world.

There are four main categories of ecosystem services:

• Provisioning services are the physical benefits nature provides such as: food, fuel, fiber, wood, biochemicals such as sap, rubber or glue, medicines, and fresh water.
• Regulating services are the benefits we receive from supporting a healthy ecosystem, including: better air quality, a comfortable climate, water storage and purification, erosion prevention, disease control, decomposition by bacteria, and pollination by bees and other insects.
• Cultural services are non-material benefits we receive from nature such as: cultural heritage and identity, aesthetic beauty, learning through interactions with nature, recreation, and creative hobbies such as art and music.
• Supporting services make provisioning, regulating and cultural services possible. These benefits include natural cycles such as: the process of photosynthesis; nutrient cycling allowing the sharing of important elements between plants and animals; water cycling such as the natural filtration of ground water; and soil formation.

Some ways trees specifically benefit us include:

• Preventing Soil Erosion - Trees reduce soil erosion by catching rainfall on leaves, branches, and bark, slowing the flow of water as it hits the ground. This allows the water to seep into the soil and enter the aquifer or the tree’s root system.
• Reducing Energy Costs – As trees shade buildings in the summer and block cold winds in the winter, the need to use cooling and heating systems is reduced.
• Improving Air Quality - Trees reduce the impacts of air pollution by absorbing pollutants through their leaves, intercepting particles in the air such as dust, ash or smoke, and releasing oxygen we need to breathe.
• Increasing Property Value –Research indicates that home buyers are willing to pay more for a home with more trees versus few to no trees.1
• Reducing Carbon Dioxide (CO2) - Trees help to reduce atmospheric carbon by sequestering (locking it up) in their roots, trunks, stems and leaves. Trees retain this carbon even after being harvested for lumber to build homes and furniture. CO2 is a greenhouse gas which contributes to climate change.

These are just a few of the ecosystem services provided by our natural systems. To learn more, click here or visit the source link below. Pinellas County Extension also developed the Traveling Tree Walk, an educational tool focused on the ecosystem services of trees. This tool can be reserve for your community online at: http://travelingtreewalk.eventbrite.com/ .

1-Source: http://treeutah.org/programs/urban-forest

Does Money Grow on Trees?

Lara Miller
Natural Resource Agent 


Money can grow on trees! The ability to compare the value of natural lands to developed lands was historically difficult until the concept of "environmental services" was developed. Environmental services include things such as: clean air, clean water, aesthetics, and non-timber forest products. Complex models have been created to estimate the monetary value of these products and services. Another way to look at it is: how much would it cost technology to replicate the services that trees provide naturally?

By placing a monetary value on environmental services, different land uses can be compared apples to apples. For example, a 2007 study determined that Tampa’s urban forests removed approximately 1,360 tons of air pollution with an estimated value of $6.4 million.

Casey Trees and Davey Tree Expert Co. developed The National Tree Benefit Calculator to help determine the monetary value of the very trees that exist in our backyard. Using this calculator, the overall benefits of a 36 inch (diameter) live oak tree in a single-family residential neighborhood of Clearwater, FL was determined to be worth $303 every year. Benefits are broken down into different categories including: stormwater, property value, energy, air quality, and carbon dioxide (CO2).

Human development can increase impervious surfaces such as concrete and asphalt that do not allow water to seep through the surface. Instead, these surfaces force water to “runoff” until it reaches soils where it can percolate into the groundwater or enter into streams, wetlands, rivers or oceans. Trees help increase the infiltration rate and storage of rainwater through the tree’s root system. Using the same 36 inch diameter live oak, approximately 28,552 gallons of stormwater runoff would be intercepted by this tree every year.

Trees can also help increase property value. Research shows that home buyers are willing to pay higher prices for properties with more trees compared to properties with few to none. The live oak from our example, if located in the front of a single family home, was estimated to increase property value by $173.

Shade of trees can save money too. Trees that shade the east and west walls of a building in the summer help to keep the building cooler. Also, by leaving the southern side of a building exposed during the winter months it can help warm interior spaces. Our 36 inch diameter live oak would conserve 246 kilowatt hours of electricity per year for cooling, which equals $15.44 (based on 6.28 cents per Kilowatt hour).

Improved air quality can be another benefit of trees and shrubs by absorbing pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and help to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Our sample tree is capable of reducing atmospheric carbon by 2,276 pounds. To put this into perspective, a flight from New York to Los Angeles adds 1,400 pounds of CO2 per passenger.

In summary, urban trees are beneficial in a variety of ways. Try calculating some of the trees in your yard using the online calculator. If you want to learn how to identify some of the trees in your yard, register for the upcoming Adult Ecology: Plant ID Series offered at Brooker Creek Preserve. Follow what’s going on with natural resources around Pinellas County on Twitter and/or Facebook
Additional sources of related information can be found below.

Sources:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fr266 
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fy1050
http://treebenefits.com/calculator/index.cfm