Trees act as carbon sink: Trees reduce the water table level and
hence reduce soil salinity, which in turn improves the soil’s ability
to grow plants. They act as a carbon sink, using up considerable
quantities of carbon dioxide, reducing the level of greenhouse gases in
the atmosphere.
Garden worth 15pc of property: On another, more easily
quantifiable level, real estate agents agreed that a good garden could
be worth up to 15 per cent of a property’s value.
Research seven years old: The research was carried out by Sue
Rostas, Communications Officer for the Kooragang Wetland Rehabilitation
Project using statistics from University of Newcastle and NSW Forests. Original research .
The statistics value oxygen from the tree at the cost of pure oxygen
delivered commercially in a cylinder. At current trading levels for
carbon dioxide emissions, $US50 per tonne, the trees ability to store
carbon dioxide is worth around $US1,000 per year.
The Courier Mail, 9/12/2005, p. 53