TreeBaltimore is the City’s plan to double our tree canopy over the next 30 years – a goal that can only be achieved in partnership with all residents and stakeholders. Implementation of TreeBaltimore is an investment in the city’s future. Trees clean water and air, reduce the effects of heat in summer and help lessen the impacts of global warming. Trees are essential to healthy, vibrant communities. Imagine a city with cool shaded streets and sidewalks, clean streams flowing to a clean harbor, and beautiful stands of trees teaming with songbirds. Imagine staying cool on a summer day under the shade of majestic oak trees and listening to the rustling of leaves instead of the hum of air conditioners. Imagine a city where children breathe clean air and few suffer the effects of asthma. A sustainable urban forest plays an important role in making this vision a reality.
A tree canopy is the percent of a city’s land area that has tree cover. Trees and tree canopy help to improve air and water quality, reduce summer heat and fight green house gas emissions. Many cities in the U.S., including Baltimore, have seen a major reduction in trees and forest cover over the past several decades.
Recognizing the importance of the urban forest, in March of 2006, Baltimore City adopted a Tree Canopy Goal of 40 percent coverage within a 30-year timeframe, thus doubling the City’s existing 20 percent tree canopy coverage. This is a very aggressive goal that will require the active support and participation of Baltimore’s citizens, businesses and institutions. Given that the majority of land in Baltimore is privately owned, most of the new trees will need to be planted on private property. Partnerships, education and marketing must be key elements of our program for success. TreeBaltimore, our urban forest management plan, is Baltimore’s program for reversing the trend of urban forest loss and achieving our tree canopy goal.
Many researchers in the last decade have documented the benefits of trees in the urban forest. The many benefits of trees in an urban area are summarized below:
