Urban Trees

 

 How can the number of trees in Providence be increased?

Providence's Urban Forest
Urban forests are a very important part of the urban landscape. Cities that have a large amount of tree canopy coverage are more healthy and attractive. This makes tree canopy coverage one of the most useful benchmarks of urban environmental quality. The canopy is the whole area on the top of the trees that covers the ground below. The tree canopy gives shade and other benefits, such as filter air pollution. Unfortunately, there were approximately two times as many trees in Providence in 1900 than there are today. The City is trying to increase the urban forest, but it still has a long way to go. However, Providence's urban forest is not growing because of the large number of trees that need to be removed. To prevent the loss of trees the City has created a "city forester," a person who oversees the public trees. The City also adopted tree ordinances (laws) that make it illegal to damage or remove trees without the permission of the City.
Ways to Help Urban Trees
  •  Increase tree maintenance to prevent premature mortality.
  • Change City ordinances (laws) to allow set back planting of trees. This would allow the City to plant trees on private property with permission from the owner, which protects the trees and increases the number of potential planting sites.
  • ·Plant between 300 and 500 additional trees each year. This would help the urban forest return to its 1900 level. This would cost approximately $100,000 annually.

 
What do Trees Tell Us About the Urban Environment?

The condition of the urban forest directly affects the health of the City's environment. Places that have more trees have better air, less water pollution, and less crime. The map on next page shows that some parts of the City have more trees than others. For example the East Side has more trees than South Providence. This is one way of showing the environmental differences between neighborhoods

 How to Measure the Urban Forest

We measure the urban forest by determining the amount of tree canopy coverage. The amount of tree canopy tells us how healthy Providence’s urban forest is. Tree canopy coverage is the only indicator that reflects both public and private trees therefore providing the most complete picture of the condition of the urban forest. The map below represents the percentage of tree canopy for each neighborhood in Providence in 1995. Another indicator is the number of trees the City forester plants and removes annually. This indicator shows whether or not the number of public trees in the City are increasing or decreasing

 

 

What do Trees Give Us?

Environmental Benefits of Urban Forests

  • Reduces the surface water runoff, which helps keep pollution out of the rivers and ponds.
  • Reduces soil erosion - which decreases sedimentation of water bodies.
  • Absorbs air pollutants.
  • Sequesters carbon - countering the greenhouse effect (see Greenhouse Gas section)
  • Reduces noise pollution - for example tree buffers along highways reduce automobile noise.
  • Cools the city by absorbing sunlight and releasing water through evapotranspiration.
  • Provides habitat for urban wildlife.

Economic Benefits of Urban Forests

  • Increases property values from 3 to 20 percent.
  • Serve as wind barriers thereby decreasing heat bills in the winter months. Studies have shown that trees decrease energy consumption in winter months by 25%.
  • Shade from tree canopies can decrease electrical bills in the summer by up to $73 annually. (see above)

 

Tree Facts

  • Currently there are approximately 24,000 street trees in Providence. In 1900 there were approximately 50,000.
  • Mortality rates (the rate of trees dying) for young trees (<10years old) is 15-20%
  • There are about 500 public trees removed every year.
  • The overall canopy coverage in 1995 was approximately 20% of the land area in Providence.
  • The overall canopy coverage is decreasing because the number of private trees is decreasing.

 

Who Pays for Trees?

The Mary Elizabeth Sharpe Street Tree Fund helps finances the street tree planting in Providence, giving $30,000 dollars over the past two years. The rest of the money for planting, maintenance, and removal comes from the City's annual budget.

 More Information On Providence's Trees

The Urban and Community Forest Plan is part of the state's Comprehensive Guide Plan. Providence's strategies regarding trees must be consistent with this Plan.

 

Resources and Contacts

  • Mr. John Campanini is Providence's City Forester, the person primarily responsible for overseeing the conditions of the urban forest. He works for the Parks Department and can be contacted at 785-9450.
  • The Providence Neighborhood Planting Program assists groups of residents to plant trees on their street. Groups of neighbors who agree to maintain trees can apply for trees by calling Leslie Urgo at 351-5802.
  • The Rhode Island Tree Council is a non-profit citizens group that works to increase tree resources of Rhode Island. They provide extra money for citizens interested in planting trees and establishing neighborhood tree organizations. Guy Lefebvre, the director, can be reached at 353-3644.