The Real Cost of Losing Tree Protection

The Real Cost of Losing Tree Protection

The Local Government and Environment Committee’s report released last week supports the removal of urban tree protection rules at a local council level and the New Zealand Arboricultural Association (NZAA) and the Tree Council are urging people to consider the potentially high dollar values that can be lost through losing trees. The decision on whether tree protection rules will be thrown out could be made as early as this week and is proposed to be decided before October 2009 under the proposed Resource Management (Streamlining and Simplifying) Amendment Bill 2009.

This is not just an Auckland issue – this Bill will prevent any Council around the country from deciding how best to protect their local assets now and in the future – it is a cost to all New Zealanders.

Lisa Sanderson, NZAA Vice President says the irreplaceable benefits of trees often go unrecognised.

“Urban trees have numerous functions that would be prohibitively costly for the Government and taxpayers to replace if they were lost from our cities. These range from bringing money into the country by increasing tourism through the clean green New Zealand image, to reducing the amount having to be spent on storm water, silt control and health care, to name but a few.”

Such benefits are backed up by numerous studies worldwide, including one that demonstrates how trees increase revenue in business districts. A New York City Council study shows each council owned street tree (excluding trees in parks and on private property) brings to the city US$5.60 in benefits for every US$1 spent, totalling US$122million in increased revenue for the city 1. This is a huge profit compared to the costs of processing resource consents – this proves that costs are not necessarily a reason to remove tree protection but a reason to keep it.

Ms Sanderson says trees also provide benefits at individual household and business levels.

“Urban trees can reduce energy bills from excessive air conditioning and heating use by 10-50% 2. Trees also protect more properties from storm damage than those that are damaged by direct tree failures.”

Ms Sanderson adds: “Trees are life supporting systems, and can increase physical and mental health well being. Trees provide oxygen, reduce respiratory disorders, shade skin from UV damage, act as air filters in increasingly polluted urban environments and provide a pleasing and amenable environment. They provide stability for river banks and coastal cliffs and give filtered shade to water waterways, which is vital for the life of New Zealand fish and aquatic life”

Ms Sanderson says: “Trees support our birds, skinks, geckos and invertebrates. They assist in holding on to what remains of our poor New Zealand soils, which is crucial in retaining the country’s reducing natural nutrient resources. They sequester our carbon and even help us keep our city temperatures and micro-climates controlled in light of climate change.”

All of these irreplaceable benefits are not only paid directly to the owner of the property on which a tree stands, but are vital economic, health and environmental benefits that should be guaranteed, by way of effective tree protection, for all Kiwis for the future.

ENDS

© Scoop Media