The Costs of Managing an Urban Forest

Abstract

Urban forests comprise all of the vegetation in and around urban and residential lands. Urban forests include both private and public lands (Ecobedo et al. 2011). Humans derive many benefits from urban forests. These benefits are referred to as ecosystem services. Urban forests improve human health, environmental quality, and even local economies by increasing property values and aesthetics in communities. Urban forests also help control stormwater, reduce air pollution and energy costs, and offset carbon dioxide emissions (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fr347). Urban forests, however, do present some associated costs of their own, or “ecosystem disservices,” so we need to manage for and mitigate their occasional detrimental effects (Table 1) (Escobedo et al. 2011; Lyytimäki et al. 2008). Understanding these costs is just as important as determining the benefits of an urban forest. An accurate assessment of an urban forest’s costs can assist decision makers to better understand the role the forest plays in improving the well-being of the community (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fr358). Identifying how funding is used can also help communities minimize costs and increase benefits. This fact sheet will review some of the types of costs associated with urban forests and present typical financial costs associated with urban forest management in the city of Gainesville, Florida.