Trees matter. More than just providing some nice shade during hot summers, these natural urban foresters provide quantifiable benefits. They generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual impacts, including, energy savings, savings related to pollution removal and savings by helping to absorb stormwater.

Awareness of the value of trees, the natural environment and the sensitivity of these resources must increase, not be decreased. Collaborative partnerships to promote stewardship and education of the multiple benefits of the existing urban forest are the answer to protecting and expanding our precious and vital tree canopies.