Sources for More Information
Bulletin #28: Placing a Value on Trees
Books
Guide for Plant Appraisal
This book is the essential reference for anyone planning to learn to conduct appraisals of trees, shrubs, or other landscape vegetation. The latest methods are covered in detail, with additional sections on professional matters such as liability protection and how to testify in court as an expert witness. It is available from the International Society of Arboriculture.
Urban Forestry — Planning and Managing Urban Greenspaces
by Robert W. Miller.
This excellent textbook contains a chapter on the “Values of Urban Vegetation.” It reviews costs, benefits and values associated with community trees and includes a discussion of Internal Revenue Service rules and limits placed on tree values by many insurance companies.
Some Excellent Web Sites
The Center for Urban Forest Research
Much of the work on quantifying the value of ecosystem services provided by community trees has been done at the USDA Forest Service’s Center for Urban Forest Research. It is a huge site and will take some work, but you can find scientific papers, PowerPoint programs, and information for lay people on many aspects of the value of trees.
Last Updated: 03/25/19