Urban forests contain woody plant vegetation that grows within and/or around cities, towns, suburbs, and other human settlements. This includes all individual trees on front lawns and in backyards, rows of street trees, and clusters of trees in urban parks, ravines, and natural areas.
The ecosystem services provided by trees
An ecosystem service is a collection of benefits provided to humans by a healthy ecosystem. Urban forests provide various environmental, economic, and social services. These services benefit municipalities, provincial, and federal governments (e.g., stormwater and air pollution mitigation, health care costs, tourism, etc.), residents (e.g., energy conservation, property value, etc.) and businesses (e.g., tree care companies, the nursery industry, aesthetics of retail areas, etc.).