The purpose of the study is to determine and explain the benefits that trees provide to a community. Houston Green is managed by a coalition of regional government, business, and nonprofit organizations in partnership with American Forests, the nation's leading nonprofit for trees and forests.
Trees provide important services that are often taken for granted.
In addition to the partnership in which trees provide oxygen to humans and animal in exchange for the carbon dioxide produced by humans and animals, trees play a complex role in a community. The Houston Green project will measure important economic benefits that trees provide and place dollar values on these services. Among their many benefits, trees reduce public expense for storm water infrastructure by absorbing runoff and filtering pollutants from water. Of course, the sense of well being and pleasure humans derive from trees have a value without price. Houston Green will combine aerial mapping, remote sensing data, and field studies to gather information about the distribution, types, and health of trees in the Houston region.