The benefits of trees to our region; Houston, TX

The benefits of trees to our region -FBBJ-06/10:
Urban trees and forests in and around the Greater Houston Metropolitan Region have a significant economic and environmental impact on the area. Studies throughout the nation have shown that urban forest can help improve air quality by reducing air temperatures, directly removing pollutants from the air and by reducing building energy use and consequent pollutant emissions from power plants. Because of this, in 2000, the USDA Forest Service Region 8 Cooperative Forestry Division approved funding of a special project, called UFORE (Urban Forests Effects model), to investigate the effects of trees in the Houston Metropolitan area on air pollutant concentrations. The goal of this project is to provide evidence of urban tree effects on air quality so tree management can become an integral part of clean air planning and policies in Houston.