City plans to invest in more trees

Investing More Money in Trees

A new analysis by a nonprofit concludes that cities, including Minneapolis, could see big returns on their investments in planting more trees.
    MPR News  reports that the group Nature Conservancy analyzed the tree canopies of 245 cities around the globe in order to measure the benefits of planting trees as a return on investment. Minneapolis was among 16 North American cities where the study found a large return on investment for trees, saying they provide both a cooling effect and reduce air pollution.
    The report also acknowledged that most of the cities in the study were losing trees. The trend between 2000 and 2010 shows Minneapolis is one of those cities, removing between 3,000 and 4,000 trees each year.
    The nonprofit has planted about 2 million trees in Minnesota in the last 10 years or so.