A scientific journal recently published a study with the novel finding from Portland, Oregon that Census tracts with a greater number of street trees planted were associated with fewer non-accidental deaths. The study used data from the nonprofit Friends of Trees, which planted 49,246 street trees across 140 Census tracts in Portland from 1990 to 2019.
The study’s findings included:
- planting 12 street trees in a Census tract was associated with 2-3% fewer nonaccidental deaths;
- Older, larger trees reduced human mortality more than saplings; and
- The benefits of street trees hugely outweighed their costs — by a factor of 1,000 or more.
Click here to read more about this study, and plant a street tree. Contact the Benicia Tree Foundation if you need help in selecting the right tree for your street.