KENT, Ohio – Trees make sense. They add beauty to every season of the landscape, they cleanse the air, absorb CO2, reduce rainwater runoff and shield us from sun and wind. Trees make sense.
But trees also make cents. Yes, cents . as in dollars and cents.
While one can’t actually harvest $20 bills from their leafy friends, trees do work for people in major, quantifiable ways. In fact, trees may be one of the best financial investments homeowners make on their properties.
How do we know? Because trees have been our business since 1880. And we have Tree$ense, a new, free mobile app created by The Davey Tree Expert Company and powered by i-Tree Design. i-Tree Design is a state-of-the-art, peer-reviewed software suite that empowers homeowners and school children to calculate the value of single trees on their properties – from energy savings to increased property values. And, what’s more, it helps people plant trees in areas where they can gain the most benefit from their trees as they grow.
Here’s how it works:
1. Visit value.m.davey.com from your mobile device. The app works on most devices, including iPads and other tablets, iPhones, Android phones and Blackberry 6 OS.
2. Enter your zip code. Hit calculate.
3. Select your tree species.
4. Slide the ball to the diameter of your tree (from 1 inch and up).
5. Enter your tree condition (vigorous and healthy, healthy with minor problems, unhealthy with minor problems, major structural problems, displaying severe decline, or dead).
6. Enter the distance of your tree from your home (0 to 20 feet, 21 to 40 feet, or 40 to 60 feet).
7. Hit next in the upper right hand corner.
8. Select the position of the tree near your home.
9. View your tree benefits. Click on each arrow to the right to learn more about each benefit.
Tree$ense turns users into TREEconomists, who can qualify and quantify their trees’ benefits and place trees in the best positions in the landscape to maximize these perks, including how much storm water the trees will intercept, how much carbon dioxide they will sequester and how much air pollution they will reduce.
After you use the Tree$ense app to calculate the value of your trees, you can then easily:
Ask the Davey Tree Doctor your toughest tree questions.
View how to” videos on important tree care topics.
Access seasonal tip calendars to get a jump on important tree maintenance.
Locate your local Davey arborist for additional advice or a free tree service estimate.
“Trees are vitally important to us environmentally, socially and economically,” says Greg Ina, vice president and general manager of The Davey Institute. “They regulate climate, cycle nutrients, provide raw materials and other resources and offer tremendous beauty. Trees protect and shield us and provide habitats and ecosystems for animals and plants. They enable all of us to live more comfortably.”
For more information, go to www.davey.com/treesense.
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