More Than a Tree Count: Understanding the Value of Urban Forests
When people hear the phrase tree value, they often think of dollars. They picture property values, timber prices, or perhaps the cost of removing a large tree after a storm.
But trees are worth far more than what can be measured in a traditional marketplace.
In a recent episode of Roots in the Sunshine, I sat down with Dr. Michael Andreu, Professor of Forest Systems at the University of Florida’s School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, to discuss how we measure the value of trees and why understanding that value requires us to look beyond the trees themselves.
What emerged was a conversation about data, stories, communities, and the evolving relationship between people and the urban forests around them.
From Timber to Trees in Communities
Like many foresters, Dr. Andreu began his career thinking about forests through a traditional lens. Working in rural landscapes, tree value was often tied directly to timber production.
The question was straightforward: What is this tree worth as a forest product?
Urban forests require a different perspective.
While a live oak growing along a neighborhood street may never become lumber, it still provides tremendous value. Trees intercept rainfall, reduce air pollution, cool neighborhoods through shade, support wildlife, and improve the quality of life for residents. These benefits are often described as ecosystem services.
The challenge is that these services can be difficult to see because they become part of the everyday background of our lives.
Why Tree Inventories Matter
Before communities can manage their urban forests, they need to know what they have.
That is where tree inventories come in. Tree inventories provide a snapshot of the urban forest by documenting species, size, condition, and distribution across a community. Some inventories focus specifically on public trees, such as street trees and trees growing in parks. Others use sample plots distributed across entire cities to better understand the complete urban forest, regardless of ownership. Without that baseline, discussions about tree canopy, storm resilience, heat mitigation, or planting priorities become little more than educated guesses.
When the Data Tells a Different Story
One of the most interesting examples Dr. Andreu shared came from urban forest inventories conducted in Gainesville.
Ask almost anyone to name the tree that defines Gainesville, and many people will quickly answer: live oak. The city’s iconic canopy of sprawling live oaks is woven into its identity. Yet inventory data revealed something surprising. Live oaks were not among the most common tree species found across the city.
At first glance, this seemed to contradict public perception. But when researchers began evaluating ecosystem services, another story emerged. While live oaks may not have been the most abundant trees, they were among the most valuable contributors to the urban forest’s overall function. Their large canopies provide extensive shade, intercept significant amounts of rainfall, store substantial carbon, and contribute disproportionately to many ecosystem services.
The lesson was not simply about live oaks. It was about how data can reveal nuances that help communities make more informed decisions about protecting and managing important trees.
Moving Beyond Snapshots
Urban forests are living systems. The moment an inventory is completed, the forest begins changing. Trees grow. Trees die. Storms reshape neighborhoods. Development alters the landscape. New policies influence planting and preservation efforts. For that reason, repeated inventories are especially valuable. Dr. Andreu compared long-term inventories to the flip books many of us remember from childhood. A single inventory provides a still image. Multiple inventories begin to create movement. Eventually, those data points become a story.
Cities like Tampa, which have conducted repeated inventories over time, are beginning to build exactly that kind of record. Rather than looking at isolated snapshots, researchers and managers can observe trends, identify changes, and better understand how urban forests respond to hurricanes, development patterns, and management decisions.
The Missing Piece: People
For decades, urban forestry largely focused on measuring trees. Today, many practitioners are realizing that measuring trees alone is not enough. An urban forest, by definition, includes people. If we want to understand how a community’s trees should be managed, we must also understand what residents value about those trees. According to Dr. Andreu, one of the most important shifts occurring in urban forestry is the recognition that urban forest management is fundamentally a social endeavor.
Urban forests are not simply collections of trees. They are collections of trees and people with different experiences, perspectives, and values.
Those values help shape what a successful urban forest looks like.
Looking Ahead
As technologies such as remote sensing, LiDAR, artificial intelligence, and advanced geographic information systems continue to evolve, our ability to measure urban forests will only improve. Yet Dr. Andreu offered an important reminder. Technology can help us collect and analyze information, but it cannot replace relationships. Building trust, listening to community members, sharing stories, and engaging people in stewardship will remain essential parts of urban forestry.
And perhaps the future of urban forestry lies not only in counting trees more accurately, but also in listening more carefully to the people who live among them.
Additional Resources
- UF/IFAS Urban Forestry Program
- Florida Land Steward Program
- i-Tree Tools for Urban Forest Assessment
- UF/IFAS School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences
AI-Assisted Content Notice: This article was prepared with assistance from generative AI tools and based on a podcast interview transcript. All content has been reviewed and edited prior to publication to ensure accuracy and alignment with UF/IFAS standards.
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