Trees and Energy Conservation:

Did You Know?

A large tree strategically planted on the west side of a house can save more than 400 kWh of energy use or more than $65 a year. More trees equal more savings!

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Interested in how trees conserve energy?

Check out the Community Tree Guides 
to the right!

• California EnerTrees Final Report, PDF, by the California Urban Forests Council
• Marin's Urban Forest - A Guide to Stakeholders PDF, by the California Urban Forests Council
• Marin County Urban Forest Canopy Cover Assessment, PDF, by Q. Xiao, J. Bartens, G. McPherson, J. Simpson, and E. Hines
• Marin County Canopy Cover Assessment data files, ZIP. Data courtesy of UC Davis and the US Forest Service's Urban Ecosystems and Processes Team.
• Land cover analysis GIS files (1.6 GB) available on request. Data courtesy of San Francisco State University. Please email: contact [at] urban-ecos [dot] com

• For summer shade
• For winter warmth
• For winter windbreaks

The i-Tree Design web tool is a great way to see how the benefits of trees change as you change their planting location, the species, and as they grow over time.

• The CA Dept of Forestry and Fire Protection's Urban Forestry Technical Specifications and Guidelines, PDF, 1.1 MB. It's not pretty and can be kind of technical, but it has lots of helpful pictures and it's packed with great information.
• SF's Friends of the Urban Forest has some good suggestions and a helpful video on how to plant a tree. Their webpages on tree care are very useful.
• The Arbor Day Foundation also has good tips for planting bare root vs containerized vs balled and burlapped trees.