Public Works and Environmental Services

CONTACT INFORMATION: Our administrative offices are open 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Mon - Fri - In-person meetings by appointment only.
703-324-1770 TTY 711
12055 Government Center Parkway
Suite 518, Fairfax, Va 22035
Brian Keightley
Division Director, Urban Forest Management

The Benefits of Planting Trees

Trees are a good investment of our public dollars

Every dollar spent on planting and caring for a community tree yields benefits that are two to five times that investment—benefits that include cleaner air, lower energy costs, improved water quality and storm water control and increased property values.  - The Arbor Day Foundation, Tree Facts


Fairfax County's Urban Forest By the Numbers

Data from i-Tree Ecosystem Analysis 2017

How Do Trees Benefit You and Your Property?

  • Dogwood TreeEnergy conservation: Properties with trees that shade homes from afternoon sun often have energy costs that are 20-25 percent lower than those without.
  • Increased property values: Healthy, mature trees add an average of 10 percent to a property's value and landscaping with trees can increase property values as much as 20 percent.
  • Trees increase your property's curb appeal.
  • Increased salability of homes: The majority of realtors surveyed believe that mature trees have a "strong or moderate impact" on the salability of homes.
  • Stress reduction: It has been shown that exposure to trees can decrease blood pressure and reduce muscle tension.
  • Screening: Trees increase privacy and reduce the impacts of unwanted views, lights, wind and noise on your property.
  • Enhanced quality of life.

How Do Trees Benefit Your Community?

  • people planting treesImproved air quality: Once mature, the additional canopy will provide 5.3 million dollars of air pollution removal annually.
  • Increased carbon dioxide absorption and storage: The additional canopy will absorb over 10 million pounds of carbon dioxide annually and eliminate the need for spending over one million dollars in greenhouse gas reduction services each year.
  • Energy conservation: 4.7 million dollars of energy conservation services will be provided by the additional canopy annually.
  • Improved water quality.
  • Improved wildlife habitat.
  • Decreased stormwater runoff: The stormwater management capacity associated with the additional mature tree canopy is estimated to cost $510,632,400 to construct.
  • Cooled ambient air temperature.

i-Tree Design Calculates Projected Benefits

Below is an example of i-Tree Design's Total Projected Benefits (2017-2047) for a site

Tree Benefit forecast for 30 years

Over the next 30 years, based on forecasted tree growth, i-Tree Design projects total benefits worth $3,918.

  • $1,560 of stormwater runoff savings by intercepting 157,584 gallons of rainfall
  • $88 of air quality improvement savings by absorbing and intercepting pollutants such as ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matter; reducing energy production needs; and lowering air temperature.
  • $312 of savings by reducing 32,150 pounds of atmospheric carbon dioxide through CO2 sequestration and decreased energy production needs and emissions
  • $1,323 of summer energy savings by direct shading and air cooling effect through evapotranspiration
  • $635 of winter energy savings by slowing down winds and reducing home heat loss
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