Tennessee’s urban forests have a value of approximately $80 billion. Additionally, they provide nearly $650 million in benefits the include carbon storage, pollution removal and energy reduction.

About 284 million trees fill forests in urban areas in Tennessee. These areas cover 33.7 percent of the 1.6 million acres of urban area. Those areas provide about $204 million every year to remove pollution and $66 million every year in energy reduction.

Urban forests make cities a healthier and more enjoyable place to live. They provide healthy outdoor spaces where children can play. Urban forests clean the air and the water and they provide significant economic benefits.

Across the entire U.S., over 100 million acres of urban forest exist across the U.S. A recent study indicates that many are declining.

The Forest Service Inventory and Analysis and other Community Forestry Programs worked with the Tennessee Division of Forestry and scientists from the Forest Service Northern Research Station on this project.