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The NTBC is a great place to start,but some of the values it presents may not be tangible for your clients. For example, according to the NTBC, a 35-inch-diameter elm tree in suburban Minnesota will provide a benefit of $11.05 in CO2, but what does that mean to a homeowner? If the tree is removed, does the homeowner now get a bill for $11.05 for carbon sequestration? Additionally, the calculation for property value benefit seems intuitively low. According to the NTBC, our 35inch elm tree is only raising the property value $69 per year.This calculator does not take into account the other real estate factors such as value of the home, neighborhood, tree health, or aesthetic value of the tree.A "nice" looking mature tree on the property would obviously add more curb appeal and resale value to a home than a ratty-looking tree, but these factors are not accounted for here. Nonetheless, the Understanding the benefits trees provide puts the cost of their care in context. NTBC is a resource that can and should be used by more arborists to communicate with tree owners.The versations showing what is positive about the situation, what would website also contains all the citations used for calculating these benefits, happen should they not opt for our services, and what solutions we which can be a great resource for answering questions on how these offer.To be clearer, let's follow a real example that our tree care comnumbers came to be. pany experienced this year. One of our arborists has a client with a The property value benefit trees provide varies wildly from source 33-inch elm in front of their $330,000 suburban home.They are interto source.Although I believe the NTBC is low when saying a mature ested in protecting it from Dutch elm disease for the next three years elm adds just $69 to the value of a suburban home, other numbers such with an Arbotect treatment, which we quoted them at $600.They are as "Trees can add 20 to 30 percent to your home's value" seem incred- on the fence about the treatment, unsure if this is a high price or a ibly high to me.A $250,000 house doesn't go up 30 percent to $325,000 good deal. Problem is, they only know the price, and they do not have with one tree, so how can we get a reasonable valuation? The number a context for the value. Here's how to have that conversation to show I use came from a study published in a real estate journal (Dombrow the value: et al. 2000) where the researchers looked at 10 years worth of home sales data in an area and calculated the effect mature trees were having "You have a beautiful elm tree that is adding value to your home. In on the appraised value of single family homes.Their study showed trees fact, your tree is providing $332 per year in benefits, and will give $996 had a 2-percent impact on the appraised market value.Thus if a house in benefits over the next three years. Mature trees contribute 2 percent with mature trees is appraised at $275,000, the trees accounted for to the appraised value of your home, so your tree is adding $6,600 to $5,500 of that value.The same house in the same neighborhood with- you home price. Unfortunately, Dutch elm disease is still killing elms out trees would appraise at $269,500.As this number seems reasonable, like this in our area.At about $100 per diameter inch for removal, your it came from the Real Estate industry, and has a journal citation one tree would cost about $3,300 to remove and replacement trees are gencan reference, I find it a useful figure. Rough home values can often be erally around $400 to get planted. If you were to lose your elm to Dutch found just by Googling the address, or by using realtor websites such elm disease you are out the 80 years it took to grow a tree this size, and as www.Homes.com. It may not be exact, but will get close enough for the emotional and aesthetic value it provided as well.You would lose our needs. $6,600 in appraised property value and the $996 in benefits it would So, we now have some numbers to show tree benefits, how do we have provided in the next three years. Out of pocket expenses for removal use that for selling on value and not on price? We can frame our con- and replacement would be $3,700.All told, the loss of this elm tree would www.arborage.com Arbor Age / November/December 2013 11