A New Leaf for Tree-Challenged D.C.
Copyright 2001 The Washington Post
September 06, 2001
By Linda Wheeler, Washington Post Staff Writer
The District has a deficit of trees -- 551,040, to be exact.
A study by a nonprofit conservation group, American Forests, calculated that the city would need to plant that many trees to have an adequate "tree canopy." Officials with the Washington-based organization released the report at a news conference yesterday and were joined by D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams, who promised to take steps to make the District a greener place. "Despite our best efforts, Washington, D.C., is a great place to be a tree," said Williams (D). "We are one big, giant greenhouse. We are muggy, damp and sunny. 'Let trees be' should be our motto."
Using satellite images, American Forests determined what portion of the land mass in the District and 19 other U.S. cities is covered by trees. It also studied the changes in urban landscapes by comparing aerial photos made over a 25-year period. The report concluded that the 20 metropolitan areas grew in square mileage by about 20 percent during that period, while the number of trees declined significantly.
The District's foliage covers 30 percent of the city's land, and the addition of 551,040 trees would increase that figure to 35 percent -- still shy of the ideal tree coverage of 40 percent, the study said.
The ideal figure for a city depends on how much its climate can support trees. The benchmark is 30 percent for cities in the plains states and 25 percent for those in the dry Western states, American Forests said.
The 20 cities covered by the study have a total deficit of 634 million trees, said Gary Moll, an American Forests vice president.
The goal of the study is to make the planting and maintaining of trees as integral a part of city planning as decisions about buildings, streets and sidewalks, Moll said.
He said the benefits of a good tree canopy include less reliance on air conditioning to cool homes, fewer problems with storm-water runoff and reduced air pollution.
Williams told reporters that he is determined to remake the District into a "city of trees," as it was known in the 1920s. The city is planting about 4,000 trees a year, Williams said. To boost that total, he said, the city has accepted the offer of $ 50 million from the Casey Trees Endowment Fund, manpower help from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's forest division, and computer programming resources from American Forests.
The satellite images in the group's study show in detail where trees are needed most. For example, in the Northwest neighborhood of Woodley Park, where the news conference was held, trees are lacking along commercial Connecticut Avenue NW.
Williams said it's easy for politicians to embrace planting trees when times are good.
"When times get tougher, and they always do, we will have to have a program where trees are a priority," he said.
"A city is at its best when we are involved in public space," Williams said. "No one would allow their dining room or their living room or their front porch to run down. Because we value our public spaces, we need to take care of our trees."