Cities will lose another 31,000 in 2020, as the cost of an increase to city hall kicks in. But what’s a parent who can’t afford a tree to do?
What happened to the tree in the yard?
Walking along New York’s busy Sixth Avenue one day last year, I stumbled across a tree toppled by the gusting winds of Hurricane Sandy.
I saw how the root system collapsed inwards, created a hollow hole, then, as part of the growing cycle, a fish ate the roots and filled up the hole. That fish, however, had run out of food.
New York Times reporter Abe Greenwald takes a photograph of New York’s storm-damaged trees. Photograph: Josh Silver/The New York Times/Getty Images
Is this the story of New York’s tree losses?
Some would say yes, others would say no, but Greenwald’s own story leaves no room for doubt:
After the disaster, as I wrote up the story, I came across an image that stuck with me. In real life, an entire forest, in a town called Stratford, Connecticut, had disappeared under a fallen tree.
Stratford isn’t New York. But the loss of thousands of trees every year makes a dent in the city’s ecosystem. That’s why the US Green Building Council’s science committee and Urban Forest Survey are planning a major report on tree loss in the country, which will suggest which cities are struggling most.
How can I help?
Did you know that the plants that look after trees can help their owners in so many ways? Here are three trees (and some handy advice on how to care for them) that can help both humans and city trees.
It’s a big responsibility being a tree, but remember that it’s the job of a parent to take care of the young. So do what you can to do that job. If your city doesn’t have native trees, there are lots of choices to choose from when planting them, or buy a tree you can fill with native vegetation.
There are things you can do when the weather is bad, too. Place water-holding T-shirts on the tree’s branches, in case the waterway isn’t moving and you don’t know where the rain is coming from. Also make sure the tree leaves out the light from cars and homes, to keep the foliage healthy. And try not to keep the canopy over a building shrouded in a thick canopy of leaves. This pollutes the air and makes it harder for the sun to break through.
There are several types of trees, from the climbers known as boxwoods, to the cedar-sands that call the city home. If they’re happy, you should be too, and you can help turn a stressful problem into a greener landscape.
Here are some tips on how to care for your favourite trees, straight from the Urban Forest Survey’ss tips.
A place that’s drought tolerant (such as the Pacific Northwest) can make a tree less prone to drought stress. Carbon-rich rainwater will help to retain moisture, increase leaf production and boost the tree’s ability to thrive.
Grows just about everywhere. The majority of cities in the US have city trees and every major city in the world, aside from the Maldives, has at least one.
Because the plants were naturally found in tropical regions, most US cities have trees of various colours – from pinks and yellows to oranges and browns – and backgrounds.