Trees

There are many reasons to include trees in an urban landscape:

This pamphlet is essential reading for anyone involved in construction around trees.
Tree Protection on Construction and Development Sites, A Best Management Practices Guidebook for the Pacific Northwest, 2009

The dangers of tree topping (and why you should be suspect of a company that offers this service)

Besides their obvious benefits like shade, bird habitat, and stormwater mitigation, trees can really change the feeling of a place, making it much more inviting and pleasant to be in as well as increasing property values. I recognize these benefits and strive to preserve and care for existing trees. When a tree just can’t be preserved and needs to be removed I donate funds so that two new trees can be planted in our National Forests through the Arbor Day Foundation. Or I will personally plant two trees per one removed on a homestead in the Skagit Valley North of Seattle.

Some more benefits of trees:

In the continental United States, carbon sequestration provided by urban trees alone is estimated to be about 25 million tons per year,¹ which is equivalent to the carbon emitted by almost 18 million cars annually.²

Shade trees planted in parking lots reduce evaporative emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)—precursors to ground-level ozone—from parked cars.³

In the Chicago area, urban trees filter an estimated 6,000 tons of air pollutants each year, providing air cleansing valued at $9.2 million.⁴

Once established, native plants can save time and money by reducing maintenance and resource requirements.⁵