Fast Fact Library

Trees in bioswales reduce runoff and discharge and return stored water to the atmosphere. Transpiration from trees in bioswales at The Morton Arboretum parking lot in Illinois accounted for 46-72% of the lot’s total...

Scharenbroch, Bryant C., Justin Morgenroth, and Brian Maule. (2015). Tree Species Suitability to Bioswales and Impact on the Urban Water Budget. Journal of Environmental Quality.

Increasing the number of native mature trees preserved in new urban housing developments is an effective way to increase bird diversity, according to this study in Queensland, Australia. Streets that retained mature...

Barth, Benjamin James, Sean Ian FitzGibbon, and Robbie Stuart Wilson. (2015). New urban developments that retain more remnant trees have greater bird diversity. Landscape and Urban Planning, 136, 122-129.

Urban middle school students in Canada were more physically active when their neighborhoods contained undeveloped natural areas with trees but not meadows. For every 5% increase in tree-covered land, there was a...

Janssen, Ian, and Andrei Rosu. (2015). Undeveloped green space and free-time physical activity in 11 to 13-year-old children. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 12(1), 26.

According to a 2013 study of lawns in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, low-density plantings of trees on irrigated lawns can significantly reduce turfgrass evapotranspiration through partial shading and serve as a...

Litvak, Elizaveta, Neeta S. Bijoor, and Diane E. Pataki. (November 2013). Adding trees to irrigated turfgrass lawns may be a water-saving measure in semi-arid environments. Ecohydrology 7(5): 1314-1330. https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.1458

Data collected from 1990 to 2007 suggests that loss of trees to the emerald ash borer increased human mortality related to cardiovascular and lower-respiratory-tract illness. Across the 15 states in the study area...

Donovan, Geoffrey H., David T. Butry, Yvonne L. Michael, Jeffrey P. Prestemon, Andrew M. Liebhold, Demetrios Gatziolis, and Megan Y. Mao. (2013). The relationship between trees and human health: Evidence from the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer. American Journal of Public Health 44(2), 139-145.

A study of single-family homes in Portland, Oregon found that trees in the public right of way are associated with lower crime rates. The effect of trees on a house's lot was mixed. Lot trees small enough to block...

Donovan, Geoffrey H., and Jeffrey P. Prestemon. (2012). The effect of trees on crime in Portland, Oregon. Environment and Behavior, 44(1), 3-30.

The average market effect of street trees on all house values in Portland, Oregon yielded a total value of $1.35 billion, potentially increasing annual property tax revenues by $15.3 million.

Donovan, Geoffrey H., and David T. Butry. (2010). Trees in the city: Valuing street trees in Portland, Oregon. Landscape and Urban Planning, 94(2), 77-83.

A study of houses in Portland, Oregon found that on average, street trees add 3% to sales price and reduce time-on-market (TOM) by 1.7 days. In addition, the study found that the benefits of street trees spill over...

Donovan, Geoffrey H., and David T. Butry. (2010). Trees in the city: Valuing street trees in Portland, Oregon. Landscape and Urban Planning, 94(2), 77-83.

In a London, Ontario study, aside from living close to school, the presence of street trees and living in a mixed land-use neighborhood were the only other physical environment features that significantly correlated...

Larsen, Kristian, Jason Gilliland, Paul Hess, Patricia Tucker, Jennifer Irwin, and Meizi He. “The Influence of the Physical Environment and Sociodemographic Characteristics on Children’s Mode of Travel to and From School.” American Journal of Public Health 99, no. 3 (2009): 520–26. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2008.135319.

Children living in areas of New York City with more street trees have a lower prevalence of asthma, as indicated by a study of children aged 4-5 years in 42 health service catchment areas. The rate of early...

Lovasi, Gina S., James W. Quinn, Kathryn M. Neckerman, Matthew S. Perzanowski, and Andrew Rundle. (July 2008). Children living in areas with more street trees have lower prevalence of asthma. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 62(7): 647-649. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jech.2007.071894