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How Much Is a Tree Worth?
It is easy to measure the value of most things that people own. If you want
to sell your house or car, for example, an expert will be able to tell you how
much money it is worth. However, it's much harder to decide how much things
in nature are worth. What is the value, for example, of a tree?
One way to measure the value of a tree could simply be in terms of how much
money could be made from cutting it down and selling the wood.
A tree might be worth more, however, if it isn't cut down. In the case of a fruit
tree, for example, we would have to ask how much money could be made by
selling the fruit that the tree produces over its lifetime. Furthermore, what about
the seeds that tree produces that can grow into new trees that will produce
their own fruit? Do these elements add to the value of the original tree?
In assessing its value, we might also look beyond the tree itself to the other
creatures that live in it. For example, insects, birds, and other animals could not
survive without the tree. These creatures use the tree for both food and shelter.
Does the fact that the tree supports all these other lives add to the value of the
tree itself?
Trees also offer non-monetary benefits to people. For example, a tree gives us
shelter on a sunny day or provides refuge from heavy rain. How much are these
things worth? And what about the beauty of trees that can calm us when we are
feeling stressed and that even inspires poetry. How do these kinds of benefits
add to the value of the tree?
If placing a value on a tree is such a difficult task, placing a value on nature itself
is likely impossible. The natural world is an irreplaceable wonder that not only
provides humans with many of our basic needs but also inspires us. How do we
place value on such a resource?
Before You Read
Vocabulary
CANTON
Look at the definitions below. Can you find words that match the definition in the word grid?
Some letters have been given to you as clues. Match the words with their definitions below.
Definitions
worth (n)
The importance of an item
Reading for Gist
Scan the article "How Much Is a Tree Worth?". How many paragraphs are there?
Now match each paragraph with the best heading below. There are more headings than
you will need.
Paragraph 1.
Paragraph 2.
Paragraph 3.
Paragraph 4
produce (v)
A person with special skills/knowledge
about a subject
Paragraph 5.
Paragraph 6.
value (n)
• How much money something should cost
creature (n)
A small, hard object produced by a plant from
which a new plant can grow
seed (n)
To make or create something
Trees add to the beauty of nature.
It's impossible to say how much nature itself is worth.
How much is a tree worth if we don't cut it down?
Different trees offer different kinds of benefits to people.
Do the non-monetary benefits that a tree offers add to its value?
. Can a tree's value be measured in terms of the wood it provides?
Deciding the value of things in nature is a difficult task.
Do the creatures that live in a tree add to its value?
Reading for Detail
Now read the article again in more detail and answer the questions below.
According to the article, are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Underline the
part of the text in which you find the answer.
monetary (adj) .
An animal, especially a nonhuman
a. An expert can easily tell you the value of a tree.
T/F
b. The fruits and seeds that a tree produces might add to its value.
T/F
c. Many creatures need trees in order to be able to live.
T/F
d. Trees are only important in terms of the money that they are worth.
T/F
e. It would be difficult to say how much money nature is worth.
T/F
expert (n)
. Of or relating to money
75 Unit 5: Economics
JPREP Empower Vol.76
