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UP J J I4I V FORESTS
<br /> 20 CITY S - UI{VE.Y -. •
<br /> CITY STREET STREET POTENTIAL PERCENTAGE
<br /> • TREE MILES # OF TREES OF TREE
<br /> POPULATION (200 /mile) COVER
<br /> f
<br /> their concerns, put tires and the envi- AVERAGE 235,152 2,672 534,320 45%
<br /> ronment at the top of the list. ATLANTA 75,332 2,500 500,000 15%
<br /> People see trees as an indicator of
<br /> the quality of their communities. Yet BALTIMORE 200,000 2,000 400,000 50% the publicly supported tree programs BOSTON 150,00( 1,100 220,000 68%
<br /> took a beating from the budget ax last CHICAGO 480,000 _ 3,800 760,000 63%
<br /> year, and this trend is certain to COnfin- CLEVELAND 72,000 1,200 240,000 30%
<br /> ue at least through 1992. In rationaliz- --
<br /> ing their decisions, public officials DALLAS 200,000 3,392 678,400 29%
<br /> often have suggested that people have DENVER 160,000 1,700 340,000 47%
<br /> a choice between funding such activi- DETROIT 200,000 2,837 567,400 35%
<br /> ties as police and firefighting or fund-
<br /> ' HARTFORD 20,000 210 42,000 48%
<br /> ing tree programs. That kind of non- --
<br /> choice does not address the issue -it is HOUSTON 956,700 9,567 1,913,400 50%
<br /> a political tactic designed to derail a INDIANAPOLIS 138,000 3,300 660,000 21%
<br /> difficult question. Dozens of other Los ANGELES 680,0(10 7,000 1,400,000 49%
<br /> budget line items can be considered in NEW YORK 650,000 6,374 1,274,800 51%
<br /> finding dollars for trees. Because many
<br /> city administrators aren't aware of the NEWARK 40,000 324 64,800 62%
<br /> value, importance, or potential of trees PHILADELPHIA 250,000 2,500 500,000 50%
<br /> in their communities, we should not let SALT LAKE CiTY 50,000 583 116,600 43%
<br /> them off the hook when they try to - - - -
<br /> give us limited options. SEATTLE 70,000 1,652 330,400 21%
<br /> ST. Louts 190,000 2,200 440,000 43%
<br /> ' utting trees from a communi- URBANA 12,000 91 18,200 66%
<br /> iv 's budget is misguided, cspe WASH. D.C. 109,000 1,102 220,400 49%
<br /> cially in light of the many --
<br /> valuable benefits trees -- - - -- -- - -- - r.-
<br /> provide. Making budget deci-
<br /> sions without data on the environmen- way. Some estimates suggest we could surveyed the nation's urban forests,
<br /> ' tal values of urban forests is tanta- double those energy savings if we and we don't lose track of the cities
<br /> mount to killing the trees. Perhaps could shuffle the locations of the between surveys. By working with the
<br /> you've seen the T- shirts and coffee nation's existing urban trees. National Urban Forest Council, Global
<br /> mugs that say "40 isn't old for a tree;" Add to those values trees' ability to ReLeaf, and the readers of Urban
<br /> in truth, the average street tree lives soak up pollution, control stormwater, Forests magazine, we are constantly
<br /> just 32 years. Studies show that city and contribute to physical and mental monitoring the conditions of city
<br /> trees substantially reduce energy costs health, and you have a strong case to forests.
<br /> and help lower pollution. Investing in have more trees in our communities.
<br /> them is good business; neglecting Public opinion and good old common his latest survey selected 20
<br /> them is costly. if your community has sense agree overwhelmingly that we cities for review, and provided
<br /> cut its tree -care budget, you can he can grow healthy urban forests if we what you might call a snap-
<br /> assured that the trees 00 your streets try, and that communities will be much shot of the conditions during a
<br /> will live shorter lives. better off if we do. Yet many city _ three -year period. This
<br /> Data supporting the ecological and administrators have cut the heart out sampling method is not a sophisticated
<br /> social values produced by trees has of their tree - management programs at research project, but it does provide
<br /> been mounting. Nationwide, the annu- budget time, and helped fuel the enough data to show important trends
<br /> al energy savings alone are about S2 decline of their urban forests. and simplify the technical issues so
<br /> billion, and that figure is climbing as The 1991 survey marked the third that more of us can understand them
<br /> people learn how to plant the right time in the last five years that the and be better able to take part in the
<br /> tree in the right place and in the right American Forestry Association has battle to overcome the problems
<br /> 62
<br /> A li -RICAN FORGsjS M, ico. AI'RII 19'42
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