Summary of Findings

• Fort Collins’ trees produce at least $2.2 million in air quality, stormwater, and carbon storage benefits each year. Tree benefits have increased in the past decade with canopy growth. Today, trees provide an additional $346,000 in services per year than they did in 2011.
• Trees support community goals to promote a physically active and environmentally sustainable community. Increasing tree canopy cover along bike lanes and near bus stops can be one component of a comprehensive approach to encouraging active modes of transportation.
• Many areas of greatest tree canopy loss have occurred where tree canopy is most needed to build social equity. Priority planting maps can be used to guide future planting efforts on both public and private land, to add trees where they can have the greatest impact.
• Residents and urban forestry partners are interested in resources that can assist them with tree planting and maintenance as well as opportunities for input and involvement.

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Additional Details

FORT COLLINS’ TREES PROVIDE $2.2 MILLION IN BENEFITS EACH YEAR

Some tree benefits can be assigned a monetary value that is based on avoided costs—this includes air pollution reduction, stormwater runoff mitigation, and carbon sequestration and storage (Table 2). Based on these benefits alone, Fort Collins’ trees produce at least $2.2 million in ecosystem services each year. This amount has increased in the past decade with tree canopy growth. Today, Fort Collins’ trees provide an additional $346,000 in services each year than in 2011.

Of these benefits, public trees account for more than $69,000 in annual benefits and have an estimated replacement value of $112 million. Replacement value is the cost of replacing a tree with tree(s) of a similar species, size, and condition in the same location.

TREES HELP RESIDENTS SAVE MONEY

Trees save energy by providing shade and blocking wind, which reduces the need for heating and cooling and lowers energy costs for homes and businesses. Properly placing three trees around a home can reduce energy costs for the average household by $100 to $250 per year. Trees that shade air conditioning units can help them run up to 10% more efficiently.

Trees also help residents save money on health care costs. Trees reduce the incidences of medical complications due to asthma, heart disease, and heat-related illnesses.

TREES SUPPORT FORT COLLINS’ SHIFT TO ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

Trees support the City’s goal to build a low-stress, high-comfort active transport network that promotes a physically active and environmentally sustainable community (Transportation Master Plan, 2019). Trees growing in street rights-of-way help to slow traffic, making streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists. Shade and evapotranspiration cooling provided by street trees allow for more comfortable walking, biking, and use of public transit and increase the appeal of cycling routes. Trees and other vegetation can also reduce the exposure of cyclists and pedestrians to air pollution.

Encouraging individuals to shift their short vehicle trips to active transportation modes (e.g., biking, walking) is one of the most effective ways to reduce vehicle miles traveled, a goal of both the City’s transportation master plan and Our Climate Future plan (2021).

• Bus Stops. Trees provide shade that can make waiting for the bus more comfortable during summer months. Average tree cover is 18.3% at the 22 bus stations and 423 bus stops across Fort Collins, a loss of 3.7% cover since 2011.
• Bike Lanes. Trees not only shade bike lanes; they also contribute to the safety of cyclists by slowing traffic. Over the 267 miles of bike lanes across Fort Collins, average tree canopy cover is 9.5%, approximately the same as it was in 2011 (+0.1%).

BALANCING THE COSTS & BENEFITS OF TREES

As with all infrastructure, tree placement requires considerations for maintenance and safety. Trees can increase some of the maintenance needs of streets and sidewalks, such as the frequency of street sweeping. Trees may also cause heaving of sidewalks where trees have been planted too close to the sidewalk, in spaces with poor soil preparation and/or compaction, or in places where the tree species and the planting site have not been well matched. In colder months, snow and ice can persist within the shadows of trees, creating a slipping hazard for pedestrians. On the other hand, shade from trees increases the lifespan of asphalt. In most cases, the benefits of trees outweigh additional maintenance costs, and careful placement of trees can reduce risks.

A FUTURE OF MORE EQUITABLE TREE CANOPY

The tree cover analysis of Fort Collins identified 15,418 acres of possible tree planting area within city limits and the growth management area, on both public and private land. Possible planting area excludes places where tree canopy would conflict with land uses, such as agricultural fields, recreational fields, and major utility corridors.

A priority planting analysis ranked possible tree planting area on a five-point scale from Very Low to Very High, based on the potential for trees to benefit the environment, human health, and social equity. The analysis identified 2,250 acres of High or Very High priority where additional tree canopy can capture stormwater, reduce urban heat, improve health outcomes, and benefit vulnerable communities.

COMMUNITY PRIORITIES

Findings from the community engagement process demonstrate that the people of Fort Collins value trees and understand the myriad ways that trees enhance quality of life in the city.

Residents and urban forestry partners noted these opportunities for future growth of the forestry program:

• Residents are invested in the ongoing management of Fort Collins’s trees and want to be involved in decisions about how the City will help ensure tree canopy preservation and growth into the future.
• Forestry Division partners, both internal and external to City government, underscored the collaborative nature of Forestry staff and the high level of expertise and service that they provide.
• Forestry partners want to continue to foster growth and collaboration among Forestry, other City departments, and external partners, for example, by ensuring that Forestry is at the table in other planning efforts.
• Both residents and Forestry partners are interested in resources that will help them be effective stewards of tree canopy, including informational resources, financial resources, and opportunities for involvement in urban forestry.