Will the new trees change water demand? Will they
affect allergies? Will they change maintenance costs for cities, or
the public? Will they provide habitat for birds and insects? Pairing
this information with other costs such as tree maintenance, as well
as people’s preferences and purchases of specific species, can help
inform policy and decision makers of environmental benefits and
costs of urban forests in a given region. According to the Sales Manager of a nursery we interviewed, while having low-maintenance
trees is an important criterion, functionality and beauty (for example, flowering trees) are still more significant variables in selling
trees