It seems reasonable to assume that most people consider trees to be a positive landscaping feature. Following that train of thought, most people would probably guess (correctly) that houses with trees sell for more money than houses without trees; however, far fewer people would be able to correctly guess the size of the price difference. Go ahead, decide on a number in your head. Ready for the answer? According to the U.S. Forest Service's Pacific Northwest Research Station, having even a single tree in front of an urban house increases that home’s sale price by an average of $7,130! Even if you don't plan on selling, that same tree can provide serious benefits in other ways as well.
If you don't care about the $7000+ increase to your home's value (!?), you can still take altruistic joy in the fact that your tree also adds value to all the houses around it! The same study mentioned above found that a single tree in front of a home adds a combined total of $12,828 to the value of the homes within a 100-foot radius.
Some of you who have read this far might be thinking, "That's great, but I don't really care because I'm not selling". Don't worry, this next section is for you! In addition to the money it adds, having a tree on your property is also valuable because of the money it saves. A study in Sacramento found that having a shade tree on the west side of a house saves about $25 per year on electric costs by reducing the need for air conditioning. Not impressed? The Arbor Day Foundation claims that trees around your home can reduce heating costs by up to 30% by reducing the speed of wind that hits your doors and windows!
Of course, no dollar amount can fully capture the added happiness of looking out your window to see a tree as opposed to cement or other houses. Trees also provide habitat for wildlife, reduce noise, improve air quality, reduce erosion, and much more!
If this post has made you excited to learn about all the potential benefits that a tree can bring to your yard, you can find even more information here.
