The Importance of Our Tree Canopy
A Guest Post by Brian Joos, Bethel Park Shade Tree Commission Member
This is the story of trees, those magnificent, leafy structures that grace our community providing numerous benefits to all of us. Read on to learn about the tree canopy, services and benefits trees provide, and the tender loving care that they require.
What is the Tree Canopy?
A tree canopy consists of foliage that covers the ground when viewed from above. We measure it as a percentage of a land area shaded by trees or as the number of acres shaded by trees. Ideally, a tree canopy includes mature trees as well as immature ones that will mature in the future.
The range of services and benefits trees provide is a function of the age, size and condition of the trees in the canopy. Mature trees with larger crowns that are in good condition will provide more services and benefits than younger, smaller trees. As a result, a community with greater tree canopy cover (a larger network of trees) will enjoy more services and benefits than a community with a lower canopy coverage.
What is the Value of the Tree Canopy?
By planting trees throughout Bethel Park, we can experience many services and environmental benefits, including:
- Soften and beautify spaces
- Significantly increase property values
- Remove pollutants from the air, soil, and water
- Absorb and clean water
- Provide shade to combat deadly heat and heat-related illnesses
- Offer shade and release water vapor into the atmosphere to cool surrounding areas and neighborhoods and mitigate the municipal heat island effect
- Intercept rainfall and reduce stormwater runoff
- Reduce flooding
- Reduce expenditures for stormwater infrastructure
- Create energy savings in homes/buildings and reduce greenhouse gas emissions due to shading effects.
- Sequester carbon (capture and store atmospheric carbon dioxide CO2) and reduce the greenhouse effect.
- Improve academic performance in schools by providing outdoor learning areas, reducing mental fatigue, and more
- Reduce stress levels
- Increase public safety
- Help with transportation by increasing the life of asphalt and creating more walkability
These benefits are why Bethel Park’s tree canopy is a vital resource!
How can We Restore and Maintain the Tree Canopy?
Bethel Park recognizes the important benefits of a tree canopy and established a Shade Tree Commission (STC) to help create and maintain it.
In the Municipal Strategic Plan, an initiative was included for the Shade Tree Commission to apply to Tree City USA to become a member. Recently, the application was approved and the community is now registered as a Tree City USA member! Tree City USA is an organization that supports the maintenance and growth of tree cover and is one of the Arbor Day Foundation’s oldest programs. This action will help to ensure that future generations of Bethel Park citizens will continue to enjoy the tree canopy as we restore and maintain it.
To retain the membership, the STC (working with Bethel Park’s Public Works Department) will conduct events such as the Arbor Day Program to maintain and grow the community’s tree cover. These events are an opportunity for everyone in the community to celebrate and participate in this work; it’s also a way to show commitment to the mission of community improvement that includes trees as part of our lives and environment. Check out Bethel Park’s website to watch for future activities at https://bethelpark.net/ or follow the Bethel Park Shade Tree Commission on Facebook
Indeed, the beauty of the tree canopy is that each resident can have an impact! You can’t put a streetlight up on your own, but you can plant and maintain a tree or two and make a meaningful contribution. And, in doing so, we’ll all enjoy the countless services and benefits that trees provide!
To confirm tree species appropriate to our area visit https://bethelpark.net/government/boards-and-commissions/shade-tree-commission/.
The tree canopy as a living infrastructure is the only type that increases in value after installation as opposed to roads for example, that are most valuable the day they’re installed and then slowly lose value as they deteriorate. And yes, trees do require tender loving care just like other living things! Try to establish a central leader for young trees and remove any competing stems and dead branches and establish a strong structure to the branches. As trees mature, you want to treat, water, fertilize, mulch, and remove dead branches as appropriate on an as-needed basis and on a regular maintenance cycle.
Conclusion
We must take action to ensure the restoration and maintenance of the canopy cover over the long term. A tree canopy takes some time to build. The biggest secret is just supporting Bethel Park’s investment in planting, maintaining, and replacing trees. But it also may be the only thing you can invest in that impacts such a broad quality of life!
