Virginia is a beautiful place to live – verdant mountains, rolling hills, serene rivers, and at times, incredible summer heat. We cherish the beauty of this season as the lilies bloom and great blue herons fly over the water after a restful winter. In an opportune moment we might search for a tree to provide reprieve as the sun sits high in the sky during an afternoon walk around the neighborhood. It can be easy to overlook, but the collection of trees you rest under provides a multitude of benefits for humans, water, and wildlife.
Benefits of Urban Trees
Food – Fruit and nut bearing trees such as apple, hazelnut, pear, persimmon, plum, black walnut and more provide nutrient dense food for humans and wildlife. These species are native to Virginia meaning they thrive in the climatic conditions in the commonwealth while living harmoniously with other native plant species.
Habitat – Trees in the York River Watershed are home to a menagerie of Virginia species, including birds, pollinators, and other important wildlife. The fast buzzing Ruby-throated hummingbird nest in deciduous forests, pine, orchards and gardens. Virginia’s beloved Cardinal rests in dense shrubbery throughout suburbia and forests. The black capped chickadee’s high pitched “cheese-burger” is sung when it perches in a safe hardwood or softwood collecting seeds for its dinner.
Planting trees in the midst of urban development provides animals with a safe home they may not otherwise have access to within an urban area. As forest fragmentation escalates during the development process, residents can plant trees for wildlife to find food and rest.
Temperature – The United Nations UNECE Forestry, Housing, and Land Management estimates tree’s canopy can reduce summer temperatures by 20°F. Planting trees near residential housing helps to shade buildings from the hot summer sun; according to the Arbor Day Foundation, a single well-placed tree can reduce air conditioning costs by up to 35%.
Bare trees in the winter can also act as a buffer from harsh winds during cooler months. Depending on the location of the tree, it may provide enough windbreak from winter chill to reduce heating costs up to 40%. Trees are team players for your health and wallet no matter the season!
Air Quality – Maintaining good air quality is crucial for community health, and trees play a pivotal role in ensuring that our air remains clean and fresh!
Trees clean surrounding air by directly absorbing harmful particles through their leaves, and diffusing that material throughout their system. According to the U.S. Forest Service, urban trees have the capacity to reduce nearly 4 billion pounds of air pollution and absorb ~150 million tons of greenhouse gasses every year.
Water Quality – Heavy downpours and an onslaught of excess stormwater to communities across Virginia are present problems for urban areas. Many urban surfaces are impervious, meaning water cannot infiltrate the soil, which may lead to potential flooding.
Trees are an excellent, all natural source of stormwater management, with thick canopies to help slow water droplets as they fall, and their intricate root systems absorb water as it enters the soil. Penn State Extension wrote one street tree can intercept over 500 gallons of water per year! Tree roots are also excellent at uptaking excess nutrients from its surroundings which may harm local waterways through bacteria impairment or algal blooms.
Funding Opportunities
Friends of the Rappahannock and York River Steward work with landowners to provide cost-share funding, implementation, and technical assistance for planting projects. A valuable resource for interested landowners comes from the Virginia Department of Forestry (VA DOF) which has current funding for urban and community forestry under the Virginia Trees for Clean Water grant.
These applications are eligible to civic groups, communities, HOAs/neighborhood associations, local government, public educational institutions, NGOs, state agencies, tribal organizations, and volunteer groups who are interested in maximizing the benefits of trees on their property and/or shared communal space. Grant funds can be used to purchase native trees, planting supplies, outreach material, and or planning purposes.
FOR/YRS strongly believes in increasing restoration projects throughout the commonwealth to reach water quality goals not only for the Rappahannock/York watershed, but the Chesapeake Bay as a whole. Installation of urban trees directly supports the restoration goals laid out in the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP), and the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). Please reach out to [email protected] for questions or assistance with your application. To learn more about DOF’s VA Trees for Clean Water program, click HERE!
These grant opportunities are provided by the the Department of Forestry (DOF) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service
