Chesapeake tree canopy coverage has been on the decline. The city wants to improve.
It’s been about 14 years since Chesapeake last took a full inventory of its tree canopy. Back then, the city found that trees covered about 36% of land, a 2% drop from a decade prior.
Some worry tree cover has been on the decline since, in part due to development, trees getting old and dying and homeowners cutting them down over fears of falling on the house. The implications are big: maintaining a healthy balance of tree coverage leads to reductions in stormwater management costs, heat and noise and can improve water quality, energy conservation and increase property values.
Now, for the first time in roughly a decade, the city has set aside the funding for an “urban forester” whose first priority will be to take stock of the city’s tree canopy coverage.
It’s a victory for the Chesapeake Environmental Improvement Council and its Tree Board committee, who’ve been advocating for the position and pushing the city to create an urban forestry plan.
Funding for the position is a line item in the 400-page operating budget that was approved this past week by the City Council. The city plans to hire the urban forester by January with a starting salary around $68,000, said Mike Barber, director of Parks, Recreation and Tourism. Barber said the city used to have a similar position but that person retired in 2011 and the position was never refilled and eventually eliminated.
The current value of the urban forest in terms of stormwater management, pollution uptake and energy conservation is approximately $1.5 billion, according to the Chesapeake Comprehensive Plan.
Urban forests can also improve quality of life. Customers in shopping areas are more likely to spend more time in tree-lined places that are more comfortable and aesthetically pleasing.
Barber said that would be part of a tree canopy evaluation, to look at places that might have green spaces but not enough trees.
“This is the first step to look into it and see where we have issues,” Barber said.
Budget documents show the city wants to know what the overall tree canopy coverage is so they can set goals to increase it to at least 40%. Trees intercept water and holds it during large storm events, meaning it’s not going into ditches and storm drains. They filter particulate matter, resulting in cleaner air.
“By just having trees, they do a whole bunch of the work for you,” said Rogard Ross, who up until recently finished out terms as chair of the Tree Board and the Environmental Improvement Council.
Development can contribute to losses in tree canopy coverage. Ross points to one recent example in his neighborhood Indian River where they lost 17 acres of woodland to a townhouse development.
But sometimes development can lead to more trees as the city can require a developer put in landscaping and plant trees. If you build a subdivision, you can end up with a net gain in trees, Ross said.
“I don’t see a direct conflict between having healthy urban forests and having a growing community,” he said. “It’s how you grow. It’s how you use your land.”
Homeowner education is another component. Ross said there’s a big fear factor especially during hurricane season of people wanting to take trees down before or after a storm. Sometimes it’s the right thing to do.
Other times, the benefit of a healthy tree in the long run should outweigh the risk. Plus, take down one big tree and you lose it protecting others around it.
Gordon Rago, 757-446-2601, [email protected]
