Urban trees are a hardworking lot: They keep buildings cool, clean the air, and improve our quality of life. In exchange, these leafy urbanites often suffer a reduced life span. The USDA Forest Service reports that in most cities, more trees are removed than planted. In a rapidly warming world, however, planting and keeping urban trees alive should be a priority. Urban forests can reduce the levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. Want to know exactly how important a tree can be? The Center for Urban Forest Research has created a new carbon calculator that can measure the effect of a single tree.
