Tree Demolition

Imagine reading a news report that begins with a description of an ideal community with a high quality of life.

​

            Q: How is the neighborhood described?

            A: "A leafy suburb…"

 

Or imagine the beginning of a lighthearted feel-good movie.  

            Q: What do you see in the very first scene? 

            A: Trees.

 

My point is that everybody loves trees. And maybe because of that, we rarely bother to ask what good they do. But good they do:

 

• Trees cool our neighborhoods, preventing hot spots

• Trees reduce wind speed

• Trees clean the air so we can breathe more easily

• Trees reduce the greenhouse gases that cause climate change

• Trees filter our water, making our drinking supply cleaner               

• Trees give a home to wildlife

• Trees boost our mental health and physical health

• Tree canopies reduce stormwater runoff by soaking up rainfall and improving how stormwater filters through the ground.   

​

Here is a report from the US Department of Agriculture about these benefits of urban trees. 

 

                                                                                              

​

​

 

 

About that last point: When rain falls onto a tree canopy, the leaves and bark hold onto the water until it evaporates, or drips down to the soil below, slowing the flow of water and reducing runoff. Rain that falls directly to the soil is absorbed by tree roots and later exits as water vapor through the leaves. The roots also help reload groundwater supplies and maintain flow in streams during droughts. This is particularly significant in an area (here) and at a time (now) when flood risk is increasing significantly because of climate changes which are causing greater hurricane risk, and rampant development which is leading to the decimation of greenspace and an increase in impervious surfaces, adversely impacting stormwater runoff.

​

You can see a short video on how this works here:

​

Video - How Trees Retain Stormwater Runoff

​

Also see the stormwater management page for more about these effects.

 

The immediate problem is that the path that the new road will take is currently covered with trees. The city is planning to demolish the trees.

 

Two tree surveys have been done, to quantify the tree destruction. One was done in approximately 2012, the other was done by a different company, using different tree categories, in approximately 2020. As you can see here, there are currently about 150 trees, with a third to a half being oak trees. The project plan shows only three trees remaining after road construction.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a typical view of the trees from ground level.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​