Money, and lots of good stuff, really does grow on trees

This time of year, we tend to treat trees as nothing more than eye candy. We ooh and ahh over the leafy explosions of oranges, yellows and reds as if we are little kids at a flora fireworks display.

"They put on this beautiful show all year and you really don't notice until this encore, this bow at the end of the show," says Edith Makra, community trees advocate for the Morton Arboretum in Lisle.

Makra knows trees aren't just fodder for weekend forest preserve outings. Trees are working stiffs. Especially in this recessionary economy.

Shoppers who travel to well-landscaped business districts with nice trees are willing to pay up to 12 percent more for whatever goods and services they buy, according to researcher Kathleen L. Wolf, an environment psychologist and environmental planner at the College of the Environment at The University of Washington.

That means planting some nice silver maples in view of the cash register could be a gold mine for merchants. A Greenpeace tree-hugger should be able to grab a bigger piece of the green than a capitalist without trees. A 12 percent financial benefit from trees more than offsets a 10.25 Cook County sales tax.

"It's remarkably consistent across the nation," says Wolf, who has studied trees along big-city streets, small-town squares and even strip malls. "People are willing to pay 9 to 12 percent more" if there are trees around.

Shopping is an experience, "and trees appear to enhance that experience," Wolf says.

People might not realize that trees boost retail sale figures. But homeowners, landscapers, insurance companies and Realtors have long realized that trees increase the value of residences. Homes with nice trees are worth more than homes without trees. A single tree in the front yard adds a quick 1 percent to the sale price, according to some studies. In one legal battle, a court determined the loss of a large black oak tree was worth $15,000, or 9 percent of the property value.

But wait, there are more financial reasons to love trees.

"The most measurable and strongest benefit is energy conservation," says Makra, whose opinion carries the clout of the U.S. Department of Energy.

A few trees properly planted around a house can cut energy costs anywhere from 6.5 percent to 25 percent, according to academic and governmental studies. As tree-owners might have notice during Monday's gusting winds, a row of windbreak trees can reduce wind speed by 85 percent. That's really going to make a difference in heating costs come January.

Economists who study the "benefit/cost analysis" of things have determined "trees are good investments," Makra says. Even when you figure the costs of planting, upkeep, trimming and removal during a 40-year life span, trees more than offset that with their energy conservation, pollution mitigation and flood control.

Suburbanites will find that the return on trees is far better than a 401k.

"For every dollar you spend on a large shade tree shading the west wall of your home, you get a $6.70 return," Makra says.

The value of trees "seems to be catching on," says Wolf, who can cite of host of studies showing how trees save us money and make life better.

A University of Illinois study on two public housing projects found that the one with more trees saw fewer cases of domestic violence and reports of higher self-esteem, Makra says. Drivers on tree-lined streets report less aggression. Hospital patients with views of trees require fewer pain relievers and heal quicker. Desk workers without views of nature claim 23 percent more illness than those with windows overlooking trees.

Trees seem to make everything better.

"That research is starting to come out and it's really amazing," says Wolf, who says one of her students recently used Google Earth images of similar elementary schools to determine that students at schools with trees scored better on standardized tests.

Those economic, environmental, energy conservation and social contributions of trees are the stuff of scientific research.

"But people often connect more with the intangible benefits. People connect with trees," Makra says. She sums up those benefits in a single sentence: "It all comes down to trees make us feel better."

This time of year, trees look pretty, too. So indulge.

"Anything that gets people to look up and appreciate trees," Makra says, "is good."