tree canopy

Ideastream news staff will discuss the statewide and local races they are following this election cycle.

Nearly 7,000 trees have been planted in Cuyahoga County since the start of its annual Healthy Urban Tree Canopy Program in 2019. This year, grants must be used, in part, for tree planting initiatives.

Cleveland's new Urban Forestry Commission serves a similar purpose as the Tree Commission, but gives the commission authority to advise Mayor Justin Bibb and city council on tree canopy policy and projects.

Residents take to social media to bring attention to the affected trees, while the city and Downtown Cleveland Alliance say they're continuing to work to keep trees healthy and improve tree coverage.

The city sought to study its tree coverage to see how much has been lost during a major sewer construction project and now wants to advance equity with future efforts.

The tree canopy in Cuyahoga County shrank by more than 6 percent since 2011, according to a 2019 update on how much of county land is covered by leaves, branches and stems of trees. The Cuyahoga County Urban Tree Canopy Assessment Update for 2019 shows 34.7 percent of the county is covered by trees. In 2011, it was 37 percent. The U.S average is 39 percent. That equals a loss of about 6,600 acres of tree canopy, said Sandra Albro, co-chair of the Cleveland Tree Coalition, and with that, a loss of trees’ ecological benefits.

Updated: Oct. 17, 2019; 10:14 a.m. The Forest City is looking to double down on its moniker with a 10-year, $10 million tree budget. The City of Cleveland on Tuesday pledged to spend $1 million each year for the next 10 years on an effort to increase its tree coverage. New trees would be planted on neighborhood tree lawns, in city-owned cemeteries and parks and on other publicly owned land, said Matt Gray, the city’s chief of sustainability.

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