Press

Preserving mature trees generates a 25% return on investment for Charlottesville, according to groundbreaking local study

June 16, 2026

UVA Darden School of Business students team up with local nonprofit to develop first-of-its-kind financial value model for tree preservation

Charlottesville, VA – Local nonprofit ReLeaf Cville, in collaboration with UVA Darden School of Business, has unveiled a groundbreaking financial model that attaches a dollar value to urban trees, transforming how city planners and developers evaluate the cost of tree removal and preservation during construction projects. The Darden graduate students applied their financial model to four mature oak trees near Kindlewood and calculated their preservation as generating a 25-year return on investment of 25.8%, far higher than typical long-term S&P 500 returns.

“This rigorous financial model proves that trees make money,” said ReLeaf Executive Director Cathy Boyd. “City planners and developers now have a financial tool in their belts to determine if trees will generate more than just shade and beauty for their projects.”

"Traditional tree valuation methods have not fully captured the long-term financial value a mature tree generates. This model goes further, quantifying that value over its remaining life, in property value, ecosystem services, and commercial activity. The financial case holds up whether you’re presenting to a city planner, a developer, or anyone else at the table," said McKenzie Snow, UVA Darden School of Business, MBA, Class of 2026.

See the study

Key findings of the study include:

Preserving mature trees yields a 25-year Net Present Value (NPV) of $304,000 with an Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 25.8%.
Removing the mature trees and planting new ones destroys long-term value, yielding a 25-year NPV of just $1.5K with a low IRR of 4.2%. Complete tree removal with no replacement inflicts a negative economic impact of -$40,000 NPV.
A newly planted tree takes 50 to 75 years to approach the canopy size and match the critical ecosystem services provided by the mature trees currently at risk.
Mature trees contribute an immediate 4% property premium uplift to the assessed $13.7M property value, compared to a negligible 0.5% premium from young, newly planted trees."Traditional tree valuation methods have not fully captured the long-term financial value a mature tree generates. This model goes further, quantifying that value over its remaining life, in property value, ecosystem services, and commercial activity. The financial case holds up whether you’re presenting to a city planner, a developer, or anyone else at the table," said McKenzie Snow, UVA Darden School of Business, MBA, Class of 2026.

“This study considers trees not as an aesthetic nice-to-have, but as a benefit to a developer’s bottom line”, said Keith Pitchford, Vice Chair of the ReLeaf board and a licensed arborist and forester. “By adopting this financial tree valuation model as a standard for urban development proposals, Charlottesville can provide a blueprint and dataset for other municipalities across the country.”

“There is a common belief in Charlottesville that development and tree preservation cannot happen together. That simply is not true,” said Peggy Van Yahres, ReLeaf Cville Co-Founder and Board Chair. “Cities across the country are successfully building housing while protecting mature trees. The goal is balance: more housing, healthier neighborhoods, and stronger long-term property value.”

ReLeaf plans to expand this work with additional Darden students this year from the Golub Capital Board Fellows Program, which provides second-year Darden students an opportunity to serve on the board of a local nonprofit and manage a project.

For media interviews, please contact:

Keith Pitchford, keith@pitchfordtrees.com

Steve Gaines, gainess@charlottesville.gov

New

ReLeaf Cville Announces Engaging 2026 Green Team Program Schedule

June 15, 2026

With expanded programming, ReLeaf Cville can train more future environmental leaders.

Charlottesville, VA – ReLeaf Cville today unveiled the schedule for its 2026 Green Team Program, offering a paid immersive educational experience focused on environmental stewardship and community engagement for 24 rising 9-12 graders. For the first time, ReLeaf Cville will offer two sessions, the Oak Session for 11-12 graders and the Acorn Session for 9-10 graders.

The Oak Session, for repeat Green Team members or students in grades 11-12, focuses on the importance of a vibrant urban tree canopy, and kicks off Monday, June 15.

“We realized that with several repeat participants, we wanted to deepen these students’ knowledge of the importance of a healthy urban tree canopy and the specifics of Charlottesville’s urban canopy,” said ReLeaf Executive Director Cathy Boyd. “We want these students to understand that their efforts are an important part of the City’s Climate Resilience Plan.”

The Green Team, Oak Session schedule and themes include:

Tuesday, June 16: Urban Gardening, Herbalism, Bread & Roses Ministry, Trinity Episcopal Church& Kat Maier, Sacred Plant Traditions, Garden walk, Apothecary tour
Wednesday, June 17: How ReLeaf Efforts fit into the City’s Climate Resilience Plan, Downtown Mall Trees, Code Building Roof Garden
Thursday, June 18: Tree Preservation with professional arborists - Airport Oak
Monday, June 22: Team Bonding at UVA Outdoor Adventure Challenge Course
Tuesday, June 23: Shining the Light on Solar Energy with Commonwealth Energy Partners
Wednesday, June 24, Overnight road trip to Bath County, VA: Learning and Appreciating Rural Values and Economy, including:
- A visit to the Wildlife Center of Virginia.
- A visit to a Commonwealth Energy Partners Solar Project.
- A Sheep Dog Exhibit.
- A visit to Mountain Gateway Community College’s Forestry Department & Sawmill.

The Acorn Session kicks off on July 7th with an introduction to the vital role of trees in our ecosystem, and is headquartered at the Rivanna Conservation Alliance. Other activities will take place at different locations around the City of Charlottesville. See below:

Tuesday, July 7: Introduction to ReLeaf Cville, Identifying Trees 101, Hike at Heyward Community Forest with Steve Gaines, Urban Forester for the City of Charlottesville’s Parks and Recreation department
Wednesday, July 8: Tree Maintenance with professional arborists from Van Yahres Tree Company.
Thursday, July 9: Exploring Nature and Protecting Our Forests from Invasive Plants, Quarry Park, with Steve Gaines and Lisa Wittenborn, Executive Director of Rivanna Conservation Alliance.

The Acorn Session kicks off on July 7th with an introduction to the vital role of trees in our ecosystem, and is headquartered at the Rivanna Conservation Alliance. Other activities will take place at different locations around the City of Charlottesville. See below:

Monday, July 13: "Kayaking the Rivanna River and Learning the River's History" will be led by Lisa Wittenborn, Executive Director of Rivanna Conservation Alliance, and historian Horace Scruggs.
Tuesday, July 14: "Climate Change, Water Quality, and How Trees Can Help" will feature Sarah Delgado, Community Engagement and Operations Manager at The Community Climate Collaborative, and Lisa Wittenborn, focusing on climate change and stormwater.
Wednesday, July 15 – Thursday, July 16: A trip to Bellair Farm, followed by an overnight stay at The Living Earth School in Afton, VA.

“Education is at the heart of what we do,” said Peggy Van Yahres, ReLeaf Cville Board Chair. “We want our Green Team students to learn about how important trees are to the environment from experts. We are grateful to our community partners in helping with the Green Team Summer Training.”

For media interviews, please contact:

Cathy Boyd, cathy@releafcville.org