Beth Noble

Tree Management Protects Home Values

Kansas City, Missouri, resident Beth Noble understands the importance of street trees to her quality-of-life and the value of her home. "It would be devastating to lose all of our ash trees," says Noble, a board member in the Greenway Fields Homes Association. "Our neighborhood is known for its trees – and our property values are ten percent higher than similar neighborhoods without trees."

For these reasons, Beth and her neighbors are taking action to protect their neighborhood's ash trees from the onslaught of emerald ash borers (EAB). They created their own EAB management plan with the guidance of the city forester and support from the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Working with their partners, Greenway Fields' efforts include treating high value trees, using others as 'traps' to capture and destroy insects and educating home owners about treatments available to protect their trees. Were it not for city and state support, the amenities that drew people like Beth to this neighborhood would be at much greater risk.

Asked what makes her neighborhood special, Beth says: "it's because of the trees."

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