Urban forests: the value of trees in the City of Toronto

This report by TD economics appraises the value of some of the ecosystem services provided by Toronto’s urban forest. Values are capitalized for the entire urban forest, and per-tree, and also reported as an annual flow for the entire urban forest and per tree and per household. The report concludes that “Urban forests do more than beautify the scenery. They represent an important investment in environmental condition, human health and the overall quality of life.” It compares the value of its services to the value of its management, to yield a conclusion that “every dollar spent on maintenance returns $1.35-$3.20 worth of benefits to residents of the City of Toronto.” (Available in English and in French)

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About Eric Miller

I am an Ecological Economist, currently working as a consulting economist and university lecturer. Most of my career has been in the Ontario and federal public service. About half of my work these days relates to ecosystem services: communicating the concept, assessing available information, and proposing ways to integrate the concept and measurement into policies and programs. I earned an MES in Ecological Macroeconomics from York University, a BA in Economics from McMaster University and a BSc in Biology from Carleton University.

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