West Virginia University (WVU) researchers and the West Virginia Division of Forestry have teamed up to better understand and communicate the significant economic and environmental impacts of urban and community tree canopy cover across the state.
Greg Dahle, associate professor of arboriculture and urban forestry in the WVU Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design, completed a report estimating that West Virginia urban forests provide annual ecosystem services of $59,749,507 by capturing 4,348,592 pounds of pollutants.
The report also revealed that more than 2.8 million tons of carbon are sequestered by the trees that make up these urban forests, resulting in an overall benefit of $53,308,328 in stored carbon.