Gazette: “Trees add to city’s appearance, well-being”

NorthAssocAdmin

Today’s Gazette gives a welcome plug for shade trees in Northampton. We say, if it’s good to plant ’em, it’s even better not to take ’em down in the first place…

When it’s hot and you’re on foot, it’s shade you crave. Then you appreciate trees – enough to hug them. In much of the city, in residential areas and downtown, big shade trees abound.

But someday, majestic trees may also shade “the strip.” The asphalt desert of car dealerships, plazas and fast-food joints that was King Street is already home to some cool, leafy shadows, as required and voluntary plantings come into their own…

When councilors put those new zoning ordinances in place in 2002, they had more in mind than trees. They also mandated smaller-scale buildings, some two-story, with parking in the back. A key point of all this is to make King Street a more inviting, walker- and bike-friendly avenue. While some may argue that the ordinances have slowed development on the street, planners say time will show the wisdom of the rules…

Feiden added that the city’s Tree Committee is working on an ordinance to require replacement trees to equal the ones they replace: for example, if a 4-inch diameter tree is removed, another 4-incher or two 2-inchers must replace it…

…[Says Deb Jacobs, chair of the Tree Committee,] studies have shown that “people spend more where there are more trees.”

Not only do trees offer shade, they also help refresh the air, mopping up at least a portion of the CO2 pollution human activity is putting into the atmosphere…

See also:

Downstreet.net: Despite Tree City USA Honor Northampton Planting Lags
Ed Shanahan is the editor of downstreet.net. He writes:

As a member of the Northampton Tree Committee, I, like other members of the committee, have been frustrated by our inability to advance the cause of shade trees in this community.

Each year, the city removes more dead or hazardous trees than it replaces, leaving a net decrease in the population of our mature shade trees…

…we have been working with the Planning Board and its staff to encourage better tree planting in new subdivisions with recommendations covering the protection of existing trees and rules and guidelines for replacement trees…

…developers, both residential and commercial, often regard landscaping and tree requirements as an unwarranted expense, not as a benefit to the quality of life to the city’s inhabitants…
Kohl’s Condo Proposal: Where Things Stand and What You Can Do
Kohl Construction proposes to build 31 condo units in the forest between North Street and the bike path. This development, with its access roads and 66 parking spaces, will claim 5.49 acres of land…

NSNA Circulates Northampton Trees & Wetlands Petition
The North Street Neighborhood Association is now circulating a Northampton Trees & Wetlands Petition (MS Word version, Rich Text File version)…

Community Tree Ordinances and Bylaws for Massachusetts Communities

Cooling Our Cities [PDF]: A fact sheet on tree planting as a way to save money and electricity.

Trees and Sustainability: Urban Air Quality: This 12 part brochure from the University of Lancaster in the UK, nicely summarizes the issues around urban trees and air quality with graphics.

Beginning in 2003, many Massachusetts communities will be faced with a mandate from the USEPA to develop and implement non-point source pollution and stormwater management plans. Fortunately, urban forestry strategies can help satisfy many of these stormwater management requirements in a cost effective manner. Trees, forests, and other natural areas effectively manage water through interception, evopo-transpiration, and infiltration. Together, these processes can significantly reduce peak stormwater flows, stabilize base flows, and naturally filter drinking water.