RES 2025054 - Laserfiche WebLink

1.4.3 Environmental and Economic Benefits Trees provide environmental benefits that hold real economic value for the City. These benefits contribute directly to the communities' quality of life and the livability of Pleasanton and so it is important to quantify them. The environmental benefits were calculated for the City -managed tree inventory using i -Tree Eco, (USFS 2022), a free software developed by the U.S. Forest Service that calculates the value of trees using the attributes such as species, diameter at standard height (DSH), and health condition of the collected tree inventory data for a specific area. The i -Tree Eco analysis utilized data from 23,301 trees in the City inventory to estimate the annual STATUS OF THE URBAN FOREST carbon sequestration, stormwater diversion, and air pollution removal benefits by publicly managed trees. These values are known as the environmental benefits provided by trees and are displayed in Table 1-3. Quantifying tree benefits helps frame publicly -managed trees as a City asset, and justifies the use of urban forestry funding and staffing resources to ensure the City's trees can continue providing environmental benefits for the community. Appendix D contains the entire i -Tree Eco report for the City's publicly managed tree inventory. The financial replacement value of Pleasanton's tree inventory is estimated to be $99.4 million, or $4,266 per tree. This reflects the estimated cost to replace every tree in the inventory of the same species, size, condition, etc. Table 1-3. Environmental Benefits Provided by City -Managed Tree Inventory Carbon Sequestration (carbon dioxide removed from air by trees) Avoided Runoff Air Pollution Removal (ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, particulate matter < 2.5 µm) Carbon removed from the City's air by the urban forest 333.2 tons is equivalent to 63 homes' electricity use for one year or 34,000 gallons of gasoline consumed. That volume of runoff would fill a football field to a 1.4 million gallons depth of over four feet of water. Equivalent to the average annual water usage of 3,215 American homes. Equivalent to the annual nitrogen dioxide, carbon 5.3 tons monoxide, and sulfur dioxide emissions from emissions from 92 automobiles or from 45 single family homes. Sources: i -Tree 2024, Environmental Protection Agency's Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator CITY OF PLEASANTON URBAN FOREST MASTER PLAN i 27