Understanding the Economic Contributions of the Arboriculture & Commercial Urban Forestry Sector in New England

Abstract

This study details the results of a survey of firms that was conducted to establish a baseline for a further understanding of the value of the arboriculture/commercial urban forestry (ACUF) sector to the New England Economy, during February and March of 2022. The greatest percentage of responses came from Massachusetts firms (45 percent) followed by Connecticut (about 15 percent) and Maine (about 9 percent). Respondents from New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont represented 6-7 percent of the sample and firms from other states (and international firms) comprised 11 percent of the sample. The distribution of firms' business income earned in each state were consistent with the firm location distribution. Large firms dominated the distribution of 2021 gross income for ACUF firms in this sample with about 48 percent of the respondents reporting gross incomes greater than $500,000. There was also a relatively large number of small firms (about 10 percent) earning less than $25,000. The 2021 total gross income of the 119 firms in this sample was estimated to be over $252 million. Large firms earning over $1 million in gross income represent 91 percent of the total gross income for this sample. Just over 70 percent of firms' gross income was from private individuals, with about 18 percent from commercial sources. Only about 7 percent was from state and local government. Tree pruning and removal was the predominant activity (over 55 percent), followed by tree fertilization and tree health at about 17 percent. Other tree care activities represented less than 10 percent of gross income.