Page 28 - Intra Muros June Issue 2025

GARDENING

THE VALUE OF TREES

esidents, you may be wondering We at Silver Lakes have a tree-planting plan Charlie Munger’s wise words
why the environmental committee each year. However, those of us on the For your benefit, readers, I have reproduced
Rmembers have been so adamant environmental committee are sometimes Mancini’s article in Yahoo Finance, in which
about saving trees and planting more trees. overwhelmed by all the tree removal the late US investor and philanthropist
Indeed, these members (myself included) requests we receive. It’s far more beneficial Charlie Munger – who is best known as
have maintained trees that were planted to build your wall around a tree trunk or its the business partner of Warren Buffett
more than 30 years ago. roots that are in the way than saw it down. at multinational Berkshire Hathaway –
mentions the importance of trees. Read on:
Here’s your answer: in an article published Sure, we can sometimes feel that trees are
on 8 May in the online platform Yahoo a nuisance – the leaves fall and mess up our Billionaire Charlie Munger said: “If you
Finance, writer Jeannine Mancini mentions gardens; there are seed pods or roots in the want to add value to a home, invest in lush
what we all know but sometimes forget: way; there’s too much or too little shade, etc. landscaping – spend money on trees and
how important “plantscapes” are, – but trees may well be our best investment. you get it back triple-fold.”
especially trees. Street trees are one of Keep them, nurture them and plant more
the most important features that uplift an trees. Real estate researchers have proven If you’re a homeowner looking to boost your
area’s value, sometimes by as much as 35%. the value of trees many times over. property’s value, your mind probably jumps
to the usual suspects: kitchen upgrades,
bathroom overhauls, maybe even a fancy
new roof. But according to billionaire Charlie
Munger, you may be overlooking the real
jackpot: your front yard.

That’s right. Landscaping.

“Lush landscaping, that’s what sells,” Munger
once declared, according to Janet Lowe’s
biography titled Damn Right: Behind the
scenes with Berkshire Hathaway billionaire
Charlie Munger. “You spend money on
trees, and you get it back triple. Stinting on
landscaping is building malpractice.”

Triple. Not a bad return, especially coming
from the man who stood beside Warren
Buffett, one of the top 10 richest people on
the planet. If anyone knew how to turn a
dollar into three, it was Charlie Munger.

26 | INTRAMUROS JUNE 2025