Urban Forests Across Canada Valued At $51B

TD Bank issued a report on September 24, 2014, providing an economic valuation of urban forests in the greater Halifax, Montreal and Vancouver areas, estimating that these forests contain more than 100 million trees which carry an estimated worth of $51 billion (Halifax: $11.5B; Montreal: $4.5B; Vancouver: $35B). TD claims that for each dollar spent on maintenance of these trees, between $1.88 and $12.70 in benefits are realized each year, depending on the city.

For example, the TD report claims that the largest benefit to Montreal from its urban forest is the cover from wet weather and the reduced strain such weather puts on infrastructure. Trees also help to reduce the city's water treatment bill by over 4% each year. The report also claims that the energy savings provided by Montreal's urban forest is enough to pay for more than 1,000 household annual energy bills.