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- 1). Examine your property tax bill and locate your home's assessed valuation. As an example, if your property is assessed at $200,000, your pecan trees may constitute as much as 25 percent of its value. This data is supported by both the U.S. Department of Agriculture and a 2006 article from "The Christian Science Monitor," supporting the value of shade trees.
- 2). Assume your trees have a net property value of 15 percent. Based upon a $200,000 assessment, your pecan trees have a value of $30,000. Record this figure for subsequent calculations.
- 3). Total your last 12 months of electric bills and add $1,400 dollars to that number. This figure might represent the additional air conditioning costs you could experience if the shade from your pecan trees disappeared, according to "The Christian Science Monitor." Record this number as well.
- 4). Contact a hardwood logging company. Request that a representative visit your property and estimate the value of your pecan trees as both saw logs and firewood. Record this number. Keep in mind that selling your trees will result in a single cash payment, while your increased electrical bills will continue forever.
- 5). Visit any grocery or roadside stand selling pecans. See how much the nuts sell for. Estimate how many pounds of nuts your trees yield annually. Keep in mind that the nut crop will form every year. The nuts have value above that of the trees themselves. Record that estimated number.
- 6). Step across the street from your property and try to imagine its appearance without your trees. Try to arrive at an asethetic value -- a totally subjective judgment, for sure. But regardless of that, the "curb appeal" of your property does have a dollar value.
- 7). Add up the positive values associated with your trees and subtract the negative ones. The resulting number is the net value of your pecan trees.
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