ABSTRACT
Trees and green spaces contribute significantly to cooling our cities and saving energy. Trees can provide solar protection to individual houses during the summer period, while, in addition, evapotranspiration from trees can reduce urban temperatures. In parallel, trees absorb sound and block erosion-causing rainfall, filter dangerous pollutants, reduce wind speed and stabilize soil, and prevent erosion (Figure 10.1). The American Forestry Association estimated that the value of an urban tree is close to $57,000 for a 50-year old mature specimen. 1 As mentioned by Akbari and Taha, 2 the above estimate includes a mean annual value of $73 for air conditioning, $75 for soil benefits and erosion control, $50 for air pollution control and $75 for wildlife habitats.
