Tree Value Assessments
We view trees as green infrastructure assets which provide a diverse range of tangible and intangible benefits to our society. They improve how a place feels and looks improving our mental health and wellbeing, their presence make places feel safer, they reduce air pollution along our roads and in our towns and cities, intercept rainfall reducing the impact of storm events on where we live, provide beneficial shade and urban cooling, and contribute to and enhance biodiversity. They are an asset often taken for granted.
There are a number of tree value assessment tools available and we can apply to projects for our clients to help inform the decision making process on land use. Commonly used systems are listed below:
CAVAT (Capital Asset Value for Amenity Trees): The Town and Country Planning Act (1990) establishes trees as an amenity. This valuation system developed by Chris Neilan and the London Tree Officers Association in 2008 provides a tool to determine the value of a population of trees for asset management purposes, it can also be applied to situations where the value of a single tree needs to be expressed in monetary terms. It is a recognised valuation system and is fast becoming embedded in national strategies and local planning policy. ltoa.org.uk/resources/cavat
i-Tree: Helps to quantify the structure and environmental effects of urban trees and their value to society, often referred to as ‘Ecosystem Services’ itreetools.org
Treezilla: Is a free online citizen science platform that allows users to map trees and obtain valuations for the ecosystem services that those trees provide to society. treezilla.org
