Photo of the Day: The Value of Trees in Roanoke

I shot this in Wasena Park last fall.

Roanoke is rapidly becoming known as something of a tree capital in both Virginia and the nation. The city had a brief love affair with the Bradford pear a few years ago, but it was fragile and when the city's arborists discovered the error of their ways, they replaced the brittle--but lovely--trees with a wide variety of species. Today, the city will plant in the strip in front of your house (the one on the other side of the sidewalk) upon request and I understand you can ask for specific species.

Here's a news release from the city telling you how important those trees are in a variety of ways:

Recently released data indicates that the Roanoke's urban tree canopy has increased from 32 percent to 48 percent since 1997. This data was reported in a comprehensive study completed by the Virginia Department of Forestry, University of Vermont, Virginia Tech, and the Roanoke Valley Alleghany Regional Commission. 

Trees provide many benefits to the Roanoke community, including: 

•Removing 304 tons of air pollutants each year, for a total annual value of $2,270,000 
•Providing an annual energy benefit of $511,000 
•Increasing property values by $913,127 
•Providing an annunal stormwater benefit of $1,022,236 
•Providing a benefit-cost ratio of street trees of 6.61 to 1 

In addition, the National Arbor Day Foundation reports that "it has been conservatively estimated that over $1.5 billion per year is generated in tax revenue for communities in the U.S. due to the value of privately owned trees on residential property." 
Roanoke's comprehensive plan, Vision 2001-2020, states that "maintaining and increasing the city's tree canopy will have a beneficial impact on air quality, stormwater control, noise levels, temperature and visual appearance."