资源环境科技发展态势分析平台

By Joshua Howgego, Kieron Doick and Chris Neilan

“I speak for the trees – let ‘em grow! But nobody listens too much, don’t you know.” In the world of Dr Seuss, a short, orange creature called the Lorax argues lyrically on behalf of trees. But in real life, rhyming couplets aren’t enough and making a case for trees often involves putting a price on them.

Imagine, for example, that a builder damages a tree. Deciding how much the construction firm should be fined involves valuing it. But that can be a contentious task. Are you valuing the raw wood? The service the tree provides by sucking pollution out of the air? The cost of replacing the tree for insurance purposes? There isn’t a single approach that perfectly encapsulates these different ways a tree can have worth. But the one most commonly used by local authorities in the UK is the Capital Asset Value for Amenity Trees (CAVAT), which estimates the value of a tree as a public amenity – roughly speaking, how it creates good vibes and accentuates a sense of place.

The CAVAT method works by first determining a basic price for the tree based upon the width of the trunk, which is a good measure of the tree’s age. It then adjusts that value based on various factors, such as the expected lifespan of the tree, the number of people who might enjoy it and attributes that contribute to or diminish the sense of place. A beautiful form of branches is a plus whereas a carpet of squashy, smelly fruit can be a minus. …

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