ARKANSAS
BY
Richard Mason
DOWNTOWN TREES
In
many of our towns and cities, downtown improvement associations, city
governments, and interested individuals have joined together to plant trees.
They look nice, and many of them cover‑up some unsightly architecture. But do trees in our downtowns provide other
uses? How about wildlife habitat, lower
utility bills, and ambiance? Let's take a close look at downtown trees.
First,
let me say that my hometown, El Dorado, has a master plan for downtown tree
planting. The year by year
implementation of this plan has resulted in over 1000 trees planted. My comments here are being written as I look
into a downtown that is literally full of trees. El Dorado's downtown trees are
a mix of Ornamental Bradford Pear, Live Oak, Red Oak, Sycamore, and Sweet Gum
extending out over a twenty block area. As our trees mature, they rise above
the mostly two story buildings in the downtown, and as they have gotten larger,
their use by wildlife has increased.
Numerous downtown trees are now roosting areas for a wide variety of
birds. Granted, not all of our downtown
birds are the most desirable of the species, but on the whole, the cumulative
effect of several thousand birds in a downtown is positive. As the trees get larger, nesting occurs. On a recent trip to Houston, I passed a mall
with several Bradford Pear Trees planted in a parking lot. In one tree, I counted six nests. In several major cities, the downtown trees
which attract a general mix of smaller birds, have brought in hawks and
falcons, which prey on these birds.
Several falcons have even nested on building ledges, adapting to tall
buildings as if they were mountains.
Recently in Chicago, one of the most popular public television programs
was a still television camera trained on a falcon's nest.
Spring comes to my downtown with
the Bradford Pear Trees in full bloom.
Honey bees by the thousands invade the city to work the pear
blossoms. In the fall as acorns fall
from the numerous oaks, birds feast on the acorns crushed by cars or
pedestrians. At night, when the city
sleeps, numerous opossums, raccoons, and
skunks roam our back alleys, and our trees serve as a place of refuge or as a
spot to prey on the roosting birds. Just the presence of hundreds of trees in
an otherwise sterile downtown setting is conducive to wildlife. Birds crossing from one area to the next
pause in our trees.
Across
the country, thousands of trees have been planted in downtowns. Each one of these trees is looked upon by
wildlife as either a source of food or shelter.
When the tree planting is supplemented by the addition of shrubs or
other low bush planting, the wildlife usage jumps. Vacant lots or even parking areas can be mini‑wildlife
corridors by merely planting trees, shrubs, and grasses along their back
edges. As more and more habitat is lost
to urban development, these city trees and shrubs become more and more
attractive to wildlife.
And
finally, one more good reason to plant downtown trees; lower utility bills for
your downtown merchants. No, it's not
only because of the shade of the leaves, it's more complicated than that. When our first satellites carrying heat
sensors scanned the country, they immediately detected hot spots in every town
and city of any size. If you have ever
walked across a blacktop highway barefoot, you understand how asphalt,
concrete, and other building materials hold heat. The average downtown is sometimes 10 degrees
hotter than the surrounding countryside.
When the satellite data was closely analyzed, certain areas within a
city would stand out as cooler than other areas. It became very clear that cities with parks
and downtown trees were substantially cooler than a city without trees. A downtown with good tree planting can have
midsummer temperatures as much as 10 degrees cooler than a comparable city
without trees. Translate that to your
electric bill and you can have as much as a $50.00 to $100.00 a month
reduction.
So
the next time you look at your downtown, try to imagine a beautiful tree every
25 feet along every street. What a
difference it would make. A difference
not only for wildlife, but as a beautiful addition to a bare street and as a
cooling agent for those hot Arkansas summers.
Richard
can be contacted at richard@gibraltarenergy.com
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