| || |
CONTRIBUTION AND VALUE
Chicago’s trees provide innumerable benefits to our city. They play a key role in:
• Reducing air pollution.
• Cleaning our air. One mature tree produces enough oxygen in a year for one adult.
• Cooling the air and reducing the energy required to cool buildings.
• Reducing urban “heat island” effects by shading cities’ parking lots and concrete structures which take on very high temperatures when exposed to sun.
• Reducing flooding by intercepting 1,000 gallons of water per year per mature tree.
• Improving water quality by filtering particulate matter that would otherwise end up in sewers and eventually our streams and lakes.
• Reducing street noise and providing a visually-pleasing buffer from manufactured urban sites, such as road medians and concrete walls.
• Improving our sense of well-being by reducing fear, decreasing violent behavior and giving comfort.
• Increasing property values as much as 10 percent.
• Increasing revenue for businesses near trees.
• Providing beauty in the urban setting.
• Contributing to community pride and cooperation.