Search Site
What's Up Magazines
A Special ReportBy Dotty Holcomb Doherty
Free Trees By 8:45 a.m. on a brilliant September Thursday, pickups and vans were parked in long rows at Truxtun Park . Seventy people stood patiently in the sun, waiting to show their identification and get their trees. The first Annapolis Tree Giveaway was about to begin. The rules were simple: live in Annapolis , one tree per household, plant your tree in city limits. Molly Estabrook of Rosecrest Drive got one of the first redbuds. “My 5-year old daughter liked the heart-shaped leaves,” she said. “I'm from California so I appreciate the city's environmental initiative, wanting to increase the tree canopy. Neighbors on both sides of me recently had to cut down 30-year-old trees that had gotten diseased, so I am happy to get this tree.” In June 2006, the city of Annapolis pledged to increase its urban tree canopy from the already respectable 41 percent it covered at that time to the even better 50 percent by 2036. The overall goal: to improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay . A stream watershed study in Montgomery County found a 44.6 percent tree canopy was necessary to maintain stream health as “good,” so Annapolitans are planting trees. The Urban Tree Canopy Report issued by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Forest Service, and University of Vermont states that the goal of 50 percent attained through maintenance and protection of existing trees and planting of more trees will “make Annapolis a leader in Urban Tree Canopy among U.S. cities.” A red pickup, showing its age with rust above the wheel wells, was being filled by three gentlemen from the Baywoods of Annapolis retirement community. “We have 62 people there who want trees, we have 62 signed waivers . . . . and the holes are already dug!” The men checked their list. “Okay, we have 10 redbud, 6 Washington hawthorns, 6 pin oaks . . .” Individuals came, as did whole neighborhoods. At Fairview condo complex, Ann Brown organized her neighbors and fifteen enthusiastically came for trees. “We need more trees,” said one man, waiting for his friend to select his tree. “Too many have been cut down.” The dogwoods ran out by 9:25 a.m. Some grumbled, but Frances Russell from Bay Highland simply chose a redbud instead. “Four trees have been struck recently by lightning on our property. I am so happy to get this tree. I just have to decide exactly where to put it.” “I knew the dogwoods and redbuds would be popular,” says Marisa Wittlinger, the city's arborist and organizer of the Annapolis tree giveaway, “so I got seventy-five of both. I got fifty of most of the others.” Hillspire columnar cedars went to those looking for windbreaks; hawthorns to those wanting flowers; green ash, pin oaks, and red maples to those desiring shade. For wet, swampy conditions, the clump river birch trees were selected. Evergreen lovers chose holly or white pine. “All the trees are native to this area,” says Wittlinger. “They belong here. They can handle the weather conditions here; they can handle drought.” At 10 a.m., the perennial exchange began. Gardeners seeking to thin their beds divided great clumps of flowers and brought them in to exchange for others. Butterfly bush, thyme, and daylilies were popular as plants were sorted into sun, shade, or herbs. Bring a plant, get another. The greening of Annapolis was under way. By 2:45 p.m., the cedars were long gone but several shade trees, river birch, pine, and holly remained. By 5p.m., 100 trees were left. Wittlinger was thrilled with the response and had no concerns about the leftovers. “The majority of the trees will go to the Naval Academy Athletic Association (NAAA) stadium and a few others will be planted in the city's rain gardens. At that point, I'm hoping we will still have some left over to give to the Housing Authority.” In 2003, NAAAreceived a Green Star Award for its renovation of the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, which included a new walking path, improved storm water management, and the planting of almost 600 new trees. BGE added funds in 2005 for planting hundreds more, earning a Green Star Award for Outstanding Business. Besides adding shade for walkers and beauty for the neighborhood, what other roles do trees play in our everyday lives? More than we realize. Environmental Benefits
Carbon dioxide, a leading contributor to global warming, is produced as we burn fossil fuels in our cars, homes, and energy plants. An acre of forest can absorb in one year [ the amount of carbon dioxide equivalent to a car driven 26,000 miles. And an acre of trees give off enough oxygen to supply 18 people per day . Trees act as a carbon sink, transferring carbon from carbon dioxide into carbohydrates in their cells. According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, a tree can store about 13 pounds of carbon annually, or 2.6 tons per acre. Trees also absorb other gaseous pollutants—nitrous oxides, sulfur dioxide, ozone, and carbon monoxide. Nitrous oxides given off in car exhaust and deposited into the Bay can cause harmful algal blooms, reducing oxygen levels and leading to anoxic conditions and fish kills. Forests can remove most of this nitrogen. Trees filter the air, removing ash, dust, and other particulates, making the air cleaner to breathe. Forests and other green spaces slow rainfall, lessening the erosion that can smother underwater vegetation and oyster beds. Storm water, which would careen off impervious surfaces like driveways, parking lots, and roads, instead is absorbed by the forest floor, which allows it to trickle down to the groundwater or be taken up by vegetation. As our cities become greener, wildlife returns—birds sing again in the foliage. Economic Benefits and Losses
American Forests, the nation's oldest nonprofit citizens' conservation organization, conducted a regional analysis of the 11.4-million-acre southeastern portion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and 1.5 million acres of the Baltimore-Washington corridor over a 24-year span, from 1973–1997. In that time, the average tree cover declined from 51 percent to 39 percent in the Bay watershed. In the Baltimore-Washington corridor, we see a similar pattern, with a reduction in tree canopy from 51 percent to 37 percent, and a corresponding increase in areas of little to no tree cover, from 31 percent to 49 percent. How does this loss of trees affect our economy? In the Baltimore-Washington corridor, runoff increased by 19 percent. Building storm water facilities to deal with this increase would cost $1.08 billion. In 1973, storm water retention capabilities of the urban forest were worth $5.7 billion. By 1997, this had declined to $4.68 billion. And the lost forest could have removed an estimated 9.3 million pounds of pollutants annually, valued at about $24 million per year. Greenery offsets the “heat island” effect created when asphalt surfaces, combined with the concrete and steel of buildings, absorb the sun's heat, making even city nights hot. As trees transpire, or give off moisture, their evaporative cooling lowers temperatures by 3 to 10 degrees from those in heat island areas, with the added advantages of shade and reduced glare. According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, well-placed shade trees can mean air-conditioning savings of up to 50 percent in the summer. As windbreaks in the winter, they can lower heating costs about 30 percent. And trees raise property values. One city of Annapolis report found a 20 percent increase in properties with trees. Green roofs can add further savings. Maryland and Virginia lead the Chesapeake watershed states, with more than 1.3 million square feet of green roofs between them, on more than 90 buildings. Locally, nine green roofs, in Annapolis , Pasadena , and Edgewater, combine to cover more than 117,000 square feet, including the Highland Beach Town Hall , the U.S. Naval Academy's Chauvenet Hall, Severn Bank Building on West Street , Back Creek Nature Park , and the Annapolis police station. By absorbing rain and slowing runoff, green roofs protect our waterways and sewage systems. And by insulating buildings they considerably lower energy costs, especially in the summer. Changing Human Behavior
The University of Illinois 's Human-Environment Research Laboratory has discovered even more reasons to green-up our cities, like reducing crime, improving girls' focus, and reducing symptoms of attention deficit disorder (ADD). The laboratory's Frances Kuo, William Sullivan, and Faber Taylor, in studying the relationships between people and their environment, have found the benefits of trees and urban greenery to extend to human behavior. In their 2001 report, they found that more greenery around apartment buildings led to a 52 percent lower overall crime rate. Even small amounts of green helped reduce crime rates. Nicely landscaped living areas brought people outdoors, increasing surveillance. The trees and gardens have a calming effect, relaxing aggressive tendencies and making people generally feel safer. Two million children in the United States suffer from ADD. University of Illinois studies found that contact with nature relieved children's symptoms, including aggression, inability to focus, and restlessness. Playing outdoors helped significantly, as did having greenery outside their windows. Studies also concluded that girls benefit significantly from greenery. “On average, the greener a girl's view from home, the better she concentrates, the less she acts impulsively, and the longer she can delay gratification—in short, the better her self-discipline.” Time to plant more trees. Local Partners
Adding, keeping, and maintaining green space needs many partners. The Spa Creek Conservancy, South River Federation, Severn River Association, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Annapolis Conservancy Board, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and Chesapeake Bay Program are only a few of the many organizations involved in Bay-friendly restoration and improvement. “We are the only local government in the country that has a public urban land trust. The Annapolis Conservancy has enabled us to save, over the last decade, up to 200 acres of land within the city—not in one big parcel but in little parcels,” says Mayor Ellen Moyer. Grants from the Chesapeake Bay Trust have been instrumental in creating living shorelines, many Bay-friendly gardens, and extensive tree planting. A recent grant of $200,000 was given to the State of Maryland by the Chesapeake Bay Trust for urban tree planting, with $25,000 going to the City of Annapolis . “We plan on planting approximately 125 trees in the Heritage community off of South Cherry Grove Avenue ,” notes Wittlinger. “The trees will be planted in the city's right-of-way between the curb and the sidewalk. The city is working closely with the Heritage Homeowner's Association on this project.” Nature Meets Engineering
Harry Sandrouni, the capital improvement project engineer for the Annapolis Public Works Department, looks to greenery for solutions to storm water issues. “Bioengineering, bioretention—these sound like big words,” said Sandrouni, “but it's actually quite simple.” Sandrouni, who has worked for the City of Annapolis for the past 5 years, arrived just as the city was required to meet standards set by the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System program, an outgrowth of the Clean Water Act implemented in larger cities in 1972. Sandrouni's work in Kentucky before he moved to Annapolis prepared him for finding low-impact solutions to storm water pollution, now mandated for smaller municipalities. Sandrouni outlined the two basic approaches to bioengineering of storm water: rain gardens and bioretention. Both use the same principle of filtration; the main difference involves digging. “With bioretention, you dig out 2.5 to 3 feet of clay soils and replace it with mostly sand and about 6–8 percent silt, plus add an underdrain,” says Sandrouni. “This improves filtration about 20–30 percent over a rain garden.” In rain gardens, he explains, you want about 6 inches of ponding. A 6-inch retaining wall or slope keeps water from running off so it can soak into the rain garden; rain then ponds up to half a foot before any excess drains into the surrounding soil. “We've been studying low-impact development for the last 10 years and run a lot of experiments. Some will try to create a 1-foot ponding, or even 8 inches, but I know they will fail. It is too much,” says Sandrouni. “With 6-inch ponding, the rains come and may fill the 6 inches, and in a couple days, the rain has filtered into the soil and the rain garden is ready for the next storm. If you make a 1-foot ponding, the soil can't take that much water, and the water sits and won't have filtered out before the next storm. It's a mess and has to be redone.” Imagine a rain garden the size of a big table, 10 feet by 6 feet, with 6 inches of ponding. That rain garden can hold 30 cubic feet of water, or about 225 gallons. “That's a lot of water,” Sandrouni remarks. “If I can save one drop of water, then I have saved one drop. I can't save the whole bucket, but I can usually save more than one drop. We have to hand down a legacy for the next generation, for our kids. We need to keep it at least as good and hopefully make it better.” Not far from Church Circle , Thompson Street runs straight down toward Spa Creek, its final descent a steep-angled slope—a perfect spot for erosion from storm water runoff. Sandrouni's crew has recently finished installing a rain garden there, as they have at the end of Amos Garrett Boulevard , complete with biologs, biosocks,and new plantings. Biologs, placed along the water's edge, help stabilize the slope and slow wave action. Within a network of fibrous natural material, dirt, mulch, and seeds provide a nursery for plants that will add stability and habitat to the shoreline when the biolog decomposes. Biosocks are smaller, and are laid along a slope above the logs to act as a check dam for runoff. Inside the mesh socks are more seeds. Plantings are scattered around the biosocks. As the seedlings take hold and the plants and trees grow, the root system stabilizes the slope, pollutants are filtered, and runoff is slowed and absorbed. Two years before the major construction at Park Place began Sandrouni created a satellite of bio cells to deal with the runoff from a 96-inchoutfall pipe. What was once just a pit is now a bioretention area. “A lot of our bioengineering is maintenance and retrofits, but we have about 40–50 rain gardens and bioretention areas around the city and are adding new ones every day.” “I push bioengineering every minute. If there is a community that wants to get involved, I push it. We give them the information.” Premier Annapolis Green Spaces Less than a mile from the Westfield Annapolis mall, tucked away off Defense Highway , 500 acres of paradise waits. Waterworks Park , managed by the City of Annapolis , is a haven for nature lovers and fishers. Walkers on the Woodland Loop trail under a dense canopy of oak, maple, and beech in July heard serenades of rich cicada hum offset by the chatter of chickadees and goldfinches, the calls of bluejays and mourning doves. Two great blue herons flew over the reservoir with loud squawks while a great egret hunted quietly in the shallows covered in the broad leaves of spatterdock. Art Thomas, Annapolis Parks administrator, spoke of this park's solitude. “There are several hiking trails and you can bring a group of kids out here to learn about nature. It's so quiet. It's just so nice and quiet.” Blooming swamp milkweed attracted monarchs and wasps probing for nectar. On the next spit, ten eastern tiger swallowtails clustered on the wet sand, puddling for needed water and minerals. Black-and-white dragonflies buzzed the air as tiny water striders dotted the surface of the still, green water. Just above the parking lot behind the old pump house, the concrete dam traps the waters of Broad Creek, forming the reservoirs that used to supply Annapolis its drinking water. The city now gets its water from subsurface wells. A 45-acre portion of this ecologically sensitive gem is open to the public, by permit only, for hiking, picnicking and catch-and-release fishing. Back Creek Nature Park is in east Annapolis near the mouth of the Severn River . A tiny offshoot at 12 acres, it nevertheless is an excellent example of how volunteers can transform open space into a wonder of environmental education. Extensive plantings, including a living shoreline, burgeoning native wildflower gardens, and more treesadd beautifully to the natural flora present on the woodland trails. Abundant bird life thrives in this small park. Every spring, the lush woods become a stopover where migrant birds fill up on insects before continuing north. Summer and permanent residents—cardinals, red-eyed vireos, catbirds, Carolina wrens, and titmice—set up nests and raise their young. Osprey and red-winged blackbirds call from the marsh. Programs for schoolchildren and signs for self-guided tours present information about plants and restoration projects throughout the park. GreenScape “The goal,” says Annapolis Mayor Ellen Moyer, “going back to Spencer Ellis's days 40 years ago, was to establish Annapolis as a parklike city. It has been institutionalized now, with GreenScape, where thousands of people come in the third Saturday in April to do planting downtown and in gardens that have grown around the city.” GreenScape was inspired by the Keep America Beautiful program, established more than 50 years ago to help citizens, local governments, and businesses clean up and beautify their neighborhoods. In 2006, Annapolis GreenScape's fifteenth year, volunteers from a wide variety of community organizations planted 2500 plants and 250 trees in 51 gardens across Annapolis . The city and local businesses provided plants and materials to the event. GreenScape 2007 is almost here. Annapolitans, shaking off winter, will emerge, shovels in hand, ready to plant.
For more information about GreenScape, call Annapolis Parks and Recreation: (410) 263-7958.
Dotty Holcomb Doherty is a freelance writer living in Annapolis .
|
