London's trees are worth £6 billion, survey finds. Here's why

London’s trees are worth £6.1 billion to the capital, a new survey has calculated.

The eight million trees also contribute £130 million in wider benefits, per year.

Why? They keep London clean.

Around 300 volunteers analysed and counted trees for the services they provide from the carbon they store and the pollution they remove, for the iTree urban forest survey.

The survey found that across London, trees store 2,367,000 tonnes per year of carbon, a service worth £146.9 million, and remove 2,241 tonnes per year of pollution, worth £126.1 million.

London's canopy also alleviates £2.8 million worth of storm water every year, and all of our urban foliage would cost £6.1 billion to replace.

The mayor of London, Boris Johnson said:

London is one of the greenest, leafiest cities on the planet and as this survey proves, our canopy does a ‘tree-mendous’ job of lowering pollution, alleviating flood water and boosting our environment.

The mayor has signed a partnership with Unilever to deliver 40,000 new trees to the city. Some 20,000 of these trees will be offered to schools and the other half will form a new urban woodland in Ealing.

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