By Lindsay Box
We need urban trees! Imagine this heat without the shade of our urban canopy.
The Lands Council is saddened by the loss of our tree canopy due to unnecessary residential removal, development, and weather events, like the recent windstorms. Canopy coverage from mature urban trees provides innumerable ecosystem benefits to our environment and communities. A healthy urban canopy supplies shade, plus cools our sidewalks, streets and homes. This cooling reduces residential heating and cooling costs, reduces water usages for lawns, and lowers our overall city temperatures. A healthy urban canopy also improves air quality by increasing oxygen, absorbing CO2, and filtering airborne particulates. Trees in an urban environment are also good for the people living around them - they create a sense of place, and are associated with better cardiovascular health and improved health outcomes.
If you have a tree that you are considering removing on your property, it is important to get a professional and accurate inspection performed by a qualified individual. It takes decades for a tree to grow to maturity, so a decision about removing it should be well informed. A professional and basic risk assessment can be obtained through a qualified arborist. A city-licensed arborist and a valid Tree Permit are required to prune or remove street trees within the public right-of-way.
You should also consider the benefits that will be lost to your property, neighborhood, and city. One 25 inch diameter mature ponderosa pine can:
Intercept 2,138 gallons of stormwater runoff per year
Reduce atmospheric carbon by 562 pounds per year
Conserve 134 kilowatt/hours of electricity for cooling per year
Increase property and neighborhood values up to 15%
While we cannot control the weather, we can mitigate many dangers and potential damages from trees with proper tree watering, pruning, and maintenance. A city-licensed arborist with valid credentials can help to remove any dead or damaged wood, as well as asses the root structure of the tree.
Also - we will replant! This fall, The Lands Council and the City of Spokane will replant two parks that were majorly affected by the last windstorms. SpoCanopy Parks Planting will be held on October 9th at Audubon and Comstock Parks. After the planting, there will be a community festival to celebrate community and our parks. Join us to help replant trees, and to meet your neighbors. More details to come on these two events.
Lastly, we are committed to planting trees with an Environmental Justice lens through our SpoCanopy program. The Lands Council is pioneering a program to plant street trees in low-income neighborhoods with scant canopy coverage. Within these identified neighborhoods, mostly in Northeast Spokane, Lands Council staff is reaching out to residents to share the benefits of tree planting and increasing our urban canopy. We are offering free street trees in select areas that will be planted by the help of community volunteers. Learn more and sign up to volunteer at https://landscouncil.org/urban-canopy.