New Woodburn Community School

Once protected, the property will forever function as an effective pollution and runoff filter (Figure 2) for lower Aaron’s Creek and the growing communities along its lower reaches and in Sabraton, saving millions of dollars over time in stormwater damages. …

In a study published by the U.S. Forest Service (Nowak et al. 2004), seven researchers, including a WVU faculty member, calculated specific economic benefits of Morgantown’s forested areas. Although the study focused on the entire city, the monetary benefits it highlighted apply to Haymaker Forest. Morgantown’s forests, the study’s abstract concludes, store “about 93,000 tons of carbon valued at $1.9 million. In addition, these trees remove about 2,900 tons of carbon per year ($60,000 per year), with trees and shrubs removing about 104 tons of air pollution per year ($711,000 per year). Trees in Morgantown are estimated to reduce annual residential energy costs by $380,000 per year. The structural, or compensatory, value is estimated at $488 million.” …

In summary, the total value to the Morgantown and Monongalia County community of an undeveloped, protected Haymaker Forest greatly outweighs the value of development. Not only is this clear today, when Morgantown is growing rapidly and losing much of its natural qualities, but it will be even more obvious in coming years, when population and environmental pressures will be magnified due to climate change and human migration to water-rich areas. Securing the Haymaker Forest for public use and protection makes both short-term and long-term economic sense. Likewise, Morgantown and Mon County residents and visitors will enjoy its incalculable benefits—as a recreation area, as a place of refuge within a busy city—today, tomorrow, and forever.