City of Lakewood · Lakewood - Reach for the Sky Lakewood Tree Action Plan Goals Increase Lakewood...

Lakewood - Reach for the Sky

City of Lakewood

Lakewood’s Tree Action Plan

Increasing The Tree Canopy Percentage February 1, 2016

By Chris Perry – City of Lakewood Streets and Forestry Manager/Arborist

A 20-Year Strategic Plan to Grow, Preserve and

Manage Lakewood’s Urban Forest


Lakewood Tree Action Plan – Increase Tree Canopy 5% to Reach 33.5% by 2035

Why 33.5 %? It is the Vision!

Meet and exceed the recognized national municipal urban tree canopy average of 33%. Progress is measurable moving forward

with future canopy assessments to follow.

The Vision describes the destination. The Goals provide the road map.


Tree Canopy is the

layer of leaves,

branches, and stems

of trees that cover the

ground when viewed

from above.

What is an Urban Tree Canopy?


How Much Tree Canopy Does The City of Lakewood Have?

Existing Tree Canopy Potential Tree Canopy Area

Vegetated – Grass or Shrub Impervious Surface Area

Total Land Cover,

Excluding Water (Acres) Acres Percent Acres Percent Acres Percent

3,522.4 1,003.1 28.5% 862.2 24.5% 1,655.6 47.0%

28.5 % of Lakewood sits

under a canopy of

trees.

http://planning.co.cuyahoga.oh.us/canopy/communities.html






















The View From Above Lakewood - What Does The Aerial Imagery Tell Us?

Existing Tree Canopy 28.5%

Possible Planting Area

Grass/Shrub 24.5%

Sidewalks, Driveways,

Parking Lots 20.2%

Homes, Buildings,

Structures 15.9%

Roads and Rail Roads 10.9%


The Impact of High Density in The City of Homes

Impervious Breakdown: 20.2% - Sidewalks, Driveways, Parking Lots 15.9% - Homes/Buildings/Structures

(highest percentage of all Cuyahoga County municipalities)

10.9% - Streets and Railroads County Rank – Existing Impervious Surface

as a percentage of total land area – 6th out of 59 municipalities at 47.0%

Lakewood Rank for Existing Tree Canopy – 43rd out of 59 Cuyahoga County municipalities at 28.5% (County Municipal Average – 37.6%)


Lakewood Tree Action Plan Goals

Increase Lakewood tree canopy cover by 5% from 28.5% to 33.5% by 2035 – Canopy increase is the over-arching goal.

Maintain the health and vigor of all trees in the Lakewood Urban Forest – to capture the long-term ecological, economic and social benefits; and for public safety.

Always plant the largest suitable tree for the site selected. Large trees live longer and provide greater economic and ecological benefits than small trees.

Achieve a 95% stocked Urban Forest to benefit all locations throughout the City of Lakewood and reach the peak Urban Tree Canopy that we can achieve and sustain.


Lakewood Tree Action Plan Goals - Continued

Establish and maintain tree species diversity and optimal age distribution. A Plan for Diversity = High Reward.

The 30-20-10 model provides a useful guide and suggests that

the total tree inventory contain no more than 30% of a single family, 20% of a single genus, and 10% of a single tree species. Street monoculture has proven to be detrimental and should be avoided.

Current Lakewood Tree Inventory: 25.7% Single Family - Aceraceae 25.7% Single Genus – Acer 11.3% Tilia cordata species (Little Leaf Linden) 10.1% Acer rubrum species (Red Maple)


Lakewood Tree Action Plan Goals - Continued

Optimize Lakewood’s level of investment in trees.

Promote the environmental, financial and social benefits of urban trees though pubic outreach and education.

No annual net loss of tree planting versus tree removals – Ever!


Continue to Improve – Strategy and Initiatives

Grow what we know – Trees are infrastructure. For publically owned trees – less than $1 invested returns over $3 in benefits.

Objectives

Plant a diverse population of trees. One tree for each removal (replace) AND at least 10% of the vacant viable planting sites identified and inventoried at the beginning of each year.

Remove, for safety, all dead and the most hazardous trees each year.

Prune (train) each newly planted tree every 3 years for the first 10 years.


Continue to Improve – Strategy and Initiatives

Objectives - Continued

Regular pruning cycle on every Lakewood street at least once every five years.

Provide the necessary staff and resources to adequately care for trees.

Continue to build and enhance our program for private yard tree planting efforts by offering residents better tree price opportunities in conjunction with the annual City Reforestation Planting Program (Average of 23 plantings per year since 2013).


Action 1. Maintain one of our greatest assets – Our Lakewood City Tree Inventory of all tree species and planting sites throughout the city. Accuracy is a must. Action 2. Comprehensive planting plan – both street trees and parks. Specifications: Master tree planting plan for every street, park and greenspace; identifying primary

and secondary tree species to be used on each street. Species will be selected based on species best suited for each site and distribution of species city-wide to strive for optimum diversity.

Diversity is important so that the urban forest is resilient to insect and disease

threats and the impacts of climate change. Many pests and diseases attack a whole genus, so diversity is a must.

Utilize all planting sites to their full potential.

Actions – To Meet Objectives


Actions – To Meet Objectives

Action 2. Continued: Meet the sustainable forest diversity benchmarks by the year 2025 - the 30-20-10 model - so that the total tree inventory stays below 30% of a single family, 20% of a single genus, and 10% of a single tree species. Diversity of species will be our guide. The city will not plant large trees under power lines or other sites too small for

the mature tree size trees in sites in which they will not survive and thrive small trees in sites appropriate for larger trees

Floow Lakewood - Reach for the Sky

Go Big!

Action 3: Maximize the economic, environmental, and social benefits that a well-

planned, growing and sustainable tree canopy can deliver to the residents of

the City of Lakewood. Always plant the largest suitable tree for the

site selected. Large trees live longer and provide greater

economic and ecological benefits than small trees.

Undersized trees fail to maximize the potential of the site. This failure is lost value for the community.

Never plant small trees in tree lawn sites appropriate for larger trees regardless of resident’s preferences.


A Sustainable Urban Forest is a Safe Urban Forest

Action 4. Systematic annual hazard tree assessment and proactive removals. Identify trees with structural defects that need to be

removed. Each year, remove a minimum of 1% of total tree

inventory for optimum long-term public safety (13,000 trees x 0.01 = 130 trees). In an urban forest environment, removals must be done for safety to mimic what would take place in a natural forest setting with big tree demise; we can’t just let the trees fail within a highly populated setting.

Identify trees with structural defects that can be pruned to make safe and retain ecological services.


More Proactive – Less Reactive

Action 5. Proactive allocation of resources - Create long range action plans and allocate a budget that will sustain it. Priorities and budgetary resources: Hazardous tree removal; dangerous branch removal New tree planting; Maximize site selection – Follow Right Tree in Right

Place Guidelines Young-tree-training – will save significant costs in future Correct past sins/mistakes and remove a certain percentage of small trees

occupying a large tree site and replace with large tree specimen to increase canopy cover over time (Net result of 0.33% canopy growth in 25 years)


More Proactive – Less Reactive

Action 5 – Continued: Regular maintenance pruning on every street - every 5 years Other young tree care/protection as needed (i.e. deer protection) Other new planting site alternatives – such as private front yard planting (a

“tree’s worth” of space) in locations where tree lawns are too small to support a tree – mutual benefits delivered to city and resident and long-term maintenance obligations associated with street right-of-way impacts are largely eliminated.

Proactive

Reactive


The First Ten Years

Action 5. Continued: Prioritize the first ten years. Investing more during planting and within the first 10-years of a newly planted tree’s life results in a 60% reduction of tree maintenance/removal costs over the course of the next 50 years – American Forests. Plant a diverse population of tree species on every City

of Lakewood street and within parks AND Right Tree – Right Place.

Prune (train) each newly planted tree every 3 years for the first 10 years. Aim for the best long-term canopy lift and spread while trees respond and recover best to pruning.


What about Those Pesky Residents?

Action 6. Improve public outreach and participation.

We need YOU to achieve our tree canopy goals! Encourage more tree plantings on private

property and preservation of large trees Arbor Day/Tree City USA activities Regular educational and tree planting sessions

with community volunteers Increase outreach activities with youth and

schools Install education tree tags at Lakewood Park,

other city locations – over 70 installed in 2015


$20 Million Dollars in That Canopy – Say What!

The 2019 estimated value of the City of Lakewood urban forest, using tree valuation guidelines developed by the United States Forest Service is estimated to be $19,771,760 - with an average single tree value of $1,509.

Formula in brief: 13,102 total trees; Base Value of 65 (Midwest States) x 78.5 (Cross-sectional average of a 10-inch diameter tree) x .70 (Species) x .65 (Condition) x .65 (Location) = $1,509.06 Total Value Per Tree x 13,102 = $19,771,760 – Estimated value of the City of Lakewood Urban Forest. This does not include the value of trees on private property.


Lakewood Tree Action Plan – Achieve a 33.5% Urban Tree Canopy by 2035

Identify and prioritize what to do with an additional 24.5% (862.2 acres) of pervious surface area within the city that could theoretically be modified to accommodate additional tree canopy.

Planting new trees on much of this land may not be socially desirable (e.g. sports fields and backyard gardens) or financially feasible. By segmenting approximately 25% of the potential tree canopy area for tree planting establishes a realistic goal towards possible canopy enhancements.

Realizing that there is relatively little land area in Lakewood set aside as park land or green space and that the percentage of residential property compared to other land is the highest of all Cuyahoga County municipalities - The impact to citywide tree canopy that can be made by city residents to encourage more planting on residential lots will be significant.

The satellites tell us that we have 24.5% potential new tree planting area – But do we?


Lakewood is Dense! No, not that kind of Dense – High Density = Opportunity

Bad (for trees) Density - The challenge of Lakewood’s high density environment is that 47% of our land area consists of impervious surface and not readily suitable for tree planting.

Good Density - Creates an opportunity. Given the close proximity to impervious surface where there is a lack of trees and adequate planting area – strategic tree planting can over time cover a significant amount of the hardscape environment and have a profound effect on the hydrology of our Lakewood ecosystem due to their large size and broad intercepting surface area, mitigating storm water flows in a substantial and quantifiable manner.

The canopy assessment shows that approximately 15.5% more acres of impervious surface can be covered by tree

canopy over time – with strategic planting


The “Low Hanging Fruit” for Canopy Growth

December 2018 Total City Trees – Tree Lawns

and Parks

December 2018 Vacant Tree Lawn

Sites

December 2018 Percentage Urban Forest Tree Lawns

Stocked

13,102 Total City Trees 2,497

83.28% of total tree lawn sites have a tree

13,102 Total City Trees - 619 Trees in City Parks, Parking Lots and other Public Property = 12,483 Tree Lawn Trees. Total City of Lakewood Tree Lawn Sites – 14,980

Vacant Tree Lawn site breakdown - 1,093 viable planting sites and 1,404 no plant sites – Utility conflicts, etc.

91.94% of viable ready to plant tree lawn sites have a tree. 12,483 out of 13,576

viable planting sites. (14,980 total sites - 1,404 no plant

sites = 13,576 viable planting sites)

1,093 out of 2,497 vacant tree lawn sites represent the “low hanging fruit” or a starting point for targeting increases in Lakewood’s tree canopy.

One mature tree (35-foot crown spread) on each of the 1,093 viable planting sites would add approximately 38 acres of tree canopy, increasing the city’s tree canopy from 28.5% to 29.6%.

Approximately 35 average tree lawn sites equate to 1-acre of additional tree canopy at maturity.

For the next 10 years achieve a annual benchmark of a 100 tree net increase each

year to grow the tree canopy – Then maintain a viable site “stocked” percentage

of 95% to preserve canopy.


Lakewood’s Parks and Green Space – Plant Big, Strive for Diversity, Plant Unique Specimens, Create Beauty, Educate and Engage the Public

Plan for and plant the next generation of city park and green space trees to contribute an additional 0.5% to canopy growth.

Enhance the urban forest experience for all Lakewood residents.

Maximize creative opportunities for expanded tree canopy that exist in parks and green spaces and still maintain a proper balance of tree canopy intermixed with recreational facilities.

Lakewood Parks – The Next Generation


More Residential Canopy Roots in Lakewood

Residents are the largest steward of the city’s tree canopy and have most of the land to plant trees.

At least 50% of future growth must take place on private property to achieve a 5% tree canopy increase by 2035.


Trees Pay You Back Over Time

The US Forest Service recently created i‐Tree Design, a free, web‐based tool that allows anyone to make a simple estimation of the benefits individual trees provide based on your personal location.

Visit www.itreetools.org/design insert your address; select and place your tree and calculate your personal benefits for one year; ten years or a lifetime.

http://www.itreetools.org/design


5% More Tree Canopy = Cleaner Air for Lakewood

Total 2014 Tree Canopy: 1,003.1 acres (28.5%) Air Pollution Removal - Nearest Air Quality Reference City: Cleveland Lbs. Removed/Year Dollar Value Carbon Monoxide: 5,802 $2,474 Ozone: 29,543 $90,680 Nitrogen Dioxide: 13,376 $41,057 Particulate Matter: 27,697 $56,760 Sulfur Dioxide: 13,431 $10,071 Totals: 89,850 - pounds $201,042

GOAL – 2035 Total Tree Canopy: 1,180 acres (33.5%)

Air Pollution Removal - Nearest Air Quality Reference City: Cleveland

Lbs. Removed/Year Dollar Value Carbon Monoxide: 7,719 $3,291 Ozone: 39,301 $120,633 Nitrogen Dioxide: 17,794 $54,618 Particulate Matter: 36,845 $75,510 Sulfur Dioxide: 17,869 $13,398 Totals: 119,528 - pounds $267,450

Source Formula: CITYgreen, a GIS software developed by American Forests and the U.S. Forest Service, was used to calculate current and potential benefits

related to carbon storage (cumulative amount of carbon stored in trees over time), carbon sequestration (the rate that carbon is captured), and air pollution removal by trees annually.

Lakewood’s existing

28.5% urban forest

canopy stores 4,315

tons of carbon. A 33.5%

tree canopy cover would

provide over

$267,450 in annual air

quality benefits.

Carbon Storage and Sequestration Total Tons Stored: 4,315 - Total Tons Sequestered (Annually): 44.92

Carbon Storage and Sequestration Total Tons Stored: 5,739 - Total Tons Sequestered (Annually): 59.76


Storm Water Retention – Tree Canopy Benefits are Quantifiable

For every 5% of tree canopy cover added to a community, stormwater runoff is reduced by approximately 2% – United

States Forest Service

Using USFS research, during a 1-inch rainstorm over 12 hours, the interception of rain by the canopy of the urban forest in Lakewood reduces surface runoff by about 12%.

Trees slow stormwater runoff, decreasing the amount of stormwater storage needed and reduce the cost of water treatment.

Lakewood’s present tree canopy manages approximately 7 million cubic feet of stormwater, valued at $14 million using a conservative $2 per cubic foot stromwater retention capacity construction costs.


Climate Change – Tree Migration North – Palms and Coconuts in Ohio?

http://www.fs.fed.us/nrs/atlas/ - BEST http://www.chicagobotanic.org/plantinfo/tree_alternatives Good local Midwest study

Trees and Climate Change Resources

http://www.fs.fed.us/nrs/atlas/



http://www.chicagobotanic.org/plantinfo/tree_alternatives

http://www.chicagobotanic.org/plantinfo/tree_alternatives


More Climate Extremes – Time to Stock up on Ohio Maple Syrup

The Lakewood Climate Change & Climate Extremes Carnage: We no longer plant any Norway Maple cultivars or any Genus of Prunus -

Cherries, Plums or Pryus - Pears

Today – Sugar Maple Range Projected – Sugar Maple Range

Choose urban tolerant trees that are adaptable to a wide range of soils; drought resistant;

those that can withstand

multiple deep-freeze and thaw

periods.


A Vision for the City of Lakewood Urban Forest – Build a Legacy

The tree canopy meets or exceeds the national average municipal tree canopy cover – 33.5% by 2035.

The urban forest is diverse in both species and age. The urban forest is looked at as a green trademark, recognized for its critical role in

the City’s leadership on sustainability issues. Public trees are proactively maintained to ensure public safety and to protect and

enhance the City’s urban forest investment and to maximize ecological services. Residents, schools and businesses are educated about the value of the urban forest

and involved in maintaining and enhancing the City’s tree canopy. The City of Lakewood Forestry Division is recognized for its proactive approach,

responsiveness to citizens, expertise in addressing urban forest issues, and effective use of resources.

Universal acknowledgement that the urban forest is a key Lakewood public infrastructure asset and a funding priority as it delivers significant financial benefits.

The urban forest helps to maintain property values and quality of life to retain homeownership base and attract new residents.


Speak For The Trees – Walk the Talk – Grow The Canopy

Follow the Path Stick to the Plan

Realize the Vision 28.5% Today – 33.5% in 2035

T-R-E-E-S T = Track Progress Over Time R = Responsible Reforestation E = Evaluate Actions and Data E = Ecological Services Maximized S = Secure Adequate Funding

Tree Benefits are Quantifiable!

City of Lakewood · Lakewood - Reach for the Sky Lakewood Tree Action Plan Goals Increase Lakewood...

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