Happy Canada Day!
As
Canadians, we can consider ourselves lucky to live in the country with the
largest intact forest in the world. This is a great day to celebrate Canada’s
beauty, and trees certainly contribute to this country’s natural splendor. But
did you know that trees’ aesthetic value can also increase the property value
of your home?
That’s right. Not
only do trees filter air pollution, help us save energy, improve water quality,
and provide wildlife habitat, but they’re also just nice to look at. This
quality is reflected in your home’s value.
A healthy urban
forest softens the look of an urban area that is otherwise made up of the hard
lines of buildings. It can also reduce the glare from hard surfaces. If the
forest has a high level of diversity, this adds interest, creating a unique,
attractive and more ‘natural’ setting. Trees can even act as a screen from less
pleasant views.
This can go a long
way if you’re trying to sell your home. A healthy urban forest can make a great
first impression on prospective buyers and tourists arriving in your community.
Studies show that homes in neighbourhoods with plenty of trees often sell
faster than homes in areas without many trees. Not only will your home sell
faster, but some research suggests that if your property contains a high
percentage of canopy cover, it may sell for 5-25% more money than similar
properties lacking trees. As people become more aware of the benefits of having
trees around their homes, this percentage may increase even further.
This benefit is not
just limited to residential properties. There is evidence that people will take
more time to shop along streets with good canopy cover. Also, as with
residential properties, offices and apartments in well-treed areas lease more
quickly than those in treeless areas. Some companies have even reported higher
productivity and fewer employee absences in offices surrounded by trees.
Remember, just having
a tree isn’t enough. It’s important that the urban forest is healthy, diverse
and well-maintained in order to maximize the benefits. Diseased or unhealthy
trees are not likely to be attractive to newcomers and may even decrease your
property’s value. A lack of diversity may leave the community looking bland and
boring when it could be positively vibrant with different species, colours and
sizes. And don’t forget, properly pruned trees are more aesthetically pleasing
and reduce the hazards associated with trees that aren’t maintained.
So why not give your
neighbourhood a facelift and plant some trees? Turn your urban forest into an
investment that will pay off for the entire community!
I got some of this
information from http://www.forestry.utoronto.ca/neighbourwoods/web/, http://urbanforestrynetwork.org/benefits/aesthetic.htm
and http://www.moneysense.ca/property/sell/grow-your-property-value-by-planting-a-tree.
--Mara
