As a longtime Newton resident, member of Newton’s Urban Tree Commission, and economist researching the economic benefits of trees, I support the strongest possible protection of Newton’s tree canopy.
Cutting healthy trees harms every neighborhood in Newton through:
- Air pollution and heat
- Storm water
- Road quality
- Health outcomes
- Healthcare costs to individuals and businesses
Each leads to meaningful costs to Newton residents. While the proposed Tree Preservation Ordinance is an important improvement over the current ordinance, it does not fully recognize the value of trees to our health. The payment formula to discourage tree cutting in the proposed Ordinance derives from The Arbor Day Foundation’s i-Tree Benefit Calculator, which is not a comprehensive measure of the healthcare costs of air pollution. This formula calculating the benefits of trees is in part from the EPA’s BenMAP model for estimating the value of air pollution removed by trees. However, BenMAP omits the costs of ambulatory care for respiratory and cardiovascular patients who are affected by air pollution. BenMAP omits other quantifiable, substantial benefits of trees as well as their less quantifiable, psychological and emotional benefits. It also does not fully capture the benefits of trees reducing extreme temperatures that cause heat related deaths and illness.
Thus, the proposed formula for payments in lieu of replacing protected trees yields substantially less than the full benefits these trees provide. Newton has long valued its trees. Further strengthening the protection of healthy trees by strongly discouraging cutting will yield substantial benefits. To paraphrase Douglas Tallamy, “Over the years, human beings have shown that we’re very good at destroying habitats. Now we have to show that we’re smart enough and thoughtful enough and caring enough to conserve what we have.”
Howard Birnbaum
Auburndale
