CHAPTER XXL 
LEGAL VALUE OF SHADE TREES 
S HADE trees have a value which may be translated 
into dollars and cents. In no other investment may 
the individual or community achieve manifold profits such 
as those accruing from tree planting. Along with the divi¬ 
dends in beauty and comfort must be reckoned the cash 
value of each tree successfully planted and grown. 
Strikingly illustrative of the dollar and cent value of 
shade trees is the definite appraisal placed on them by city 
authorities. Springfield, Massachusetts, may be cited as 
an example. Figures show that Springfield has more trees 
in proportion to population than any other American city, 
and the municipal government places an appraisal value of 
$100 on each tree. With a total of 25,000 trees in the city, 
this gives an appraised value of $2,500,000 to be counted 
as an added asset of the community. Ann Arbor, Mich¬ 
igan, uses a similar method of computation and reckons 
the value of its 8000 trees at $800,000. In reaching these 
figures the city officials followed the formula worked out 
by Prof. Filibert Roth, one of the foremost of American 
foresters, who formulated the first basis for shade tree 
valuation in this country. 
In undertaking to set a standard for tree values con¬ 
sideration must be given to many factors. A tree may be 
of value only for its lumber, or for its shade, or it may be 
as priceless as Hartford’s Charter Oak or the world famous 
Cambridge Elm. With much depending on location and 
individual beauty, it is impossible to approach shade tree 
values without the law of averages. 
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