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Urban trees reveal income inequality

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Started 11 months ago by News
Latest reply from alexs

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News
Columbus Underground
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Urban trees reveal income inequality
May 17, 2012

Wealthy cities seem to have it all. Expansive, well-manicured parks. Fine dining. Renowned orchestras and theaters. More trees. Wait, trees? I’m afraid so. Research published a few years ago shows a tight relationship between per capita income and forest cover. The study’s authors tallied total forest cover for 210 cities over 100,000 people in the contiguous United States using the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s natural resource inventory and satellite imagery. They also gathered economic data, including income, land prices, and disposable income.

READ MORE: http://persquaremile.com/2012/05/17/urban-trees-reveal-income-inequality/

Posted 11 months ago #
Analogue Kid
Olentangy West
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Very interesting, this seems to work on a neighborhood basis as well if you look locally. Central Clintonville has great tree coverage whereas South Linden is a bit lacking.

Posted 11 months ago #
SusanB
Hungarian Village, Columbus' fastest growing Gayborhood!
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Absolutely true on a neighborhood basis. One of the first things I did in Hungarian Village was to get a bunch of trees donated to us by the Habitat Reuse store and gave them away to any neighbor that promised to plant them and take care of them. We added some 15 trees to the neighborhood. They make me happy every time I see one.

Posted 11 months ago #
Anne
King Lincoln
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I was very happy when the owners of the apartment next to our home were willing to go in with us on pruning and taking care of the huge tree in front of our properties. Old neighborhoods feel old with large beautiful trees.

It upset me some that kld had to lose more old trees along 71 for the split fix. :(

Posted 11 months ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown / Gay Street
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Analogue Kid said:
Very interesting, this seems to work on a neighborhood basis as well if you look locally. Central Clintonville has great tree coverage whereas South Linden is a bit lacking.

Every time I drive down Neil Avenue, I admire the canopy. It makes me want to plant a bunch of trees in my own neighborhood so that people can enjoy a similar display in 50-80 years. ;)

Posted 11 months ago #
0Angle
Home-Northwood Park, Breweries-43215
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I'd venture that the canopy on E. Oakland Ave. would hold it's own.
Definite curb appeal.

Posted 11 months ago #
leftovers

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Anne said:

It upset me some that kld had to lose more old trees along 71 for the split fix. :(

I have also seen some pretty horrible hack jobs from AEP cutting branches and trees away from power lines. it seems they play much more aggressively with the chainsaws in the poorer areas.

Posted 11 months ago #
alexs
Limestone bluffs of the Scioto
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It's tough to install street trees. I've been working with some people to put some in along 5th Ave.

First, not every kind of tree is good for an urban setting. For example, you don't want walnuts dropping on everything.

Then, street trees are the responsibility of the city forester, who is in the parks department, so you need permission from them.

Then, what about public safety and ADA access on sidewalks, etc.? Some sites are ruled out that way.

Next, what about digging around utilities? What about utilities overhead that the tree might grow into?

Next, you need the permission and cooperation of the property owner whose street frontage you want to plant. That might be some distant landlord or corporate owner with little or no interest in a leafy street.

OK, suppose all goes well, and you've successfully planted the trees. (For the sake of speculation, let's say they aren't destroyed by vandals or weather.) Whose job is it to take care of them from now on?

So, when you propose street trees, people can come up with many ways to argue against it. It can be like picking a lock to get everything lined up.

Posted 11 months ago #
joev
Merion Village
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I'd love it if those stupid, annoying Bradford pear street trees were replaced by dwarf fruit trees when they expire.

Posted 11 months ago #
columbusmike

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Walker said:
Every time I drive down Neil Avenue, I admire the canopy. It makes me want to plant a bunch of trees in my own neighborhood so that people can enjoy a similar display in 50-80 years. ;)

Can't agree more. I also wish someone would educate the public on the benefits of placing trees in between the sidewalk and the street, instead of placing them in the yard. Trees belong against the street so that they create a canopy over the road, provide shade for the brick/asphalt, and create visual protection and privacy from the street activity. People 80 years ago understood these benefits, and somewhere along the road (pun intended), we forgot and started placing trees in our yards.

Posted 11 months ago #
alexs
Limestone bluffs of the Scioto
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Near me in UA is Lyon Drive, with a really pretty canopy of trees, black locust I think - but one lone house didn't go along, and they have sycamores instead. It's an amusing sight but I wonder if it bugs the neighbors.

They must be saving a bundle on air conditioning with that canopy, though.

Posted 11 months ago #
columbusmike

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alexs said:
They must be saving a bundle on air conditioning with that canopy, though.

I should have included a disclaimer. Trees in your yard are great...but they also need to be on the street.

I have several large oak trees against the street that shade my house in the summer and let the light in during the winter. It's an amazing free temperature control.

Posted 11 months ago #
alexs
Limestone bluffs of the Scioto
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We have a big magnolia that serves that purpose for our big front windows facing west. Before it grew in, we were using blackout curtains to keep the afternoon/evening heat and light out.

Posted 11 months ago #