Their benefits go far beyond aesthetics. 'The roots and the canopies make a natural stormwater filtration system. It would also be a lot hotter here, and trees do their part in keeping the air clean, too,' said Jorgenson, whose Community Forestry Office operates under the Parks and Recreation Department. 'For us, it's not about planting trees because they look pretty. We recognize all the benefits they have and try to bring as many trees in as we can.'"
Each year, street trees intercept 19 million gallons of stormwater-a service worth more than $96,000 to the City of Boise. City-owned street trees also absorb and trap air pollutants like carbon dioxide, ozone and nitrogen dioxide. Researchers estimate that a full 900 tons of CO2 emissions are either pulled from the air or foregone because of photosynthesis each year, along with almost 7,000 pounds of ozone and 1,350 pounds of nitrogen dioxide. All that pollution control is worth a total of $6,292.
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