Publications & research

Estimating amenity values of street trees and woodland views: a methodological review

How can you estimate the value that urban communities get from trees and wooded views?

Summary

Street trees and woodland views can deliver a wide range of economic, social and health benefits. Forest Research assessed m 1044826.012big.jpg ethodologies, especially spatial GIS techniques, for estimating the value of these benefits.

Key findings and recommendations

Findings:

Most amenity valuations use revealed and stated preference methods
There are few nationwide or large-scale valuations of street trees or woodland views in the UK, based on GIS analysis
The amenity value of woodlands often depends on species composition and conditions; in the UK broadleaved or mixed woodlands have a positive effect on house prices
New woodlands yield the highest marginal benefits at the urban fringe
Household characteristics (e.g. education and income level, and the presence of children) can affect the valuation of amenity woodland and open space
There is a trade-off between the value of timber production and visual amenity values of woodland, especially at the urban fringe
Visible clear-cut sites can have major negative impacts on visual amenity values

Recommendations:

Hedonic pricing methods are appropriate for case studies which investigate links between the property market, recreation and local use greenspace
Stated preference methods (i.e. surveys or benefit transfer from the previous surveys) are most appropriate for large-scale changes and/or where non-use or total values are sought
Future econometric studies should test for functional specification in hedonic models and control for the presence of spatial autocorrelations