Management
There are many costs involved with managing urban forests. These
costs include the initial and subsequent tree inventories, the purchase
of trees, tree care practice, securing permits if necessary and
maintaining the integrity of the urban forest.
The cost of the initial tree inventory, as well as subsequent inventories,
depends greatly on how detailed the inventory will be. Tree inventories
can range from simple to very complex. Simple inventories can be
handled by volunteers to hold the cost of inventory to a minimum.
However, when an inventory is being taken for management purposes,
those experienced in tree inventory should be called upon.
When considering the cost of purchasing trees, you should always
invest in higher-quality stock. These trees will have been cared
for in such a way that they will have a good foundation and will
cost less in maintenance fees.
Tree care can be a major part of your budget as it is necessary
to properly care for the trees within the urban forest to prevent
a rise in future costs associated with the trees. Some costs involved
with caring for urban forests include trunk protection, protection
from pests and diseases, pruning and even tree removal.
The cost of securing permits for your urban forest will depend
on the policies of the municipalities involved. Therefore, it is
hard to expound on any costs that may or may not be associated with
this aspect of establishing an urban forest.
Finally, when considering cost of maintaining urban forests, all
of the above should be factored into the equation. Urban forests
can be quite expensive but the benefits are tremendous and well
worth the expense and effort expended.
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