By 2028, Chattanooga could have almost 5,000 more trees.
An increased tree canopy should take root and flourish as the city and its partners plant trees around town, using funds from a $6 million grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Chattanoogans have the opportunity to help.
With the tree planting project, there is a focus on tree canopy equity, providing an increase in coverage in disadvantaged neighborhoods, said Pete Stewart, city forester with the department of public works. Research has found that urban tree canopy improves people's health, physically and mentally, Stewart said by phone. Additionally, tree canopy helps mitigate urban heat islands, he said.
Such islands arise when materials (such as those used in roads) trap heat, causing temperatures in surrounding areas to increase. A map of urban heat islands is the opposite of a map of tree canopy, Stewart said.
"The difference between a shaded and non-shaded street can be 10 degrees," Stewart said. "And on a day when the temperatures are in the 90s, that's the difference between a block you can comfortably walk on and talk with your neighbors versus one that you're just trying to get from one air-conditioned space to another."
(READ MORE: Chattanooga plans to add hundreds of acres of new park space in coming decades)
A study by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's Interdisciplinary Geospatial Technology Lab found that urban tree canopy comprises about 49% of Chattanooga's total land area, but the distribution and density of the canopy is uneven. The neighborhoods of downtown Chattanooga, Highland Park, Glenwood, North Brainerd, Hickory Valley, Murray Hills and East Chattanooga had under 40% canopy, the study found.
Studies in cities across the country have found a relationship between tree canopy and income, with low income neighborhoods having fewer trees, according to Charlie Mix, geographic information systems director at the UTC lab. While those studies have found a correlation between canopy and income, the UTC lab's study found just a statistical association, Mix said by phone. Mix attributed this finding to the city being nearly half covered by canopy.
"This is still a very green city with a lot of tree canopy, and it's a lot easier to work on preserving your canopy, if that's what a community prioritizes, than trying to restore it later on," Mix said. "Because it could take decades to get those trees back once they're gone."
This winter will be the first tree planting season of the project, Chattanooga Parks and Outdoors Natural Resources Manager Anna Mathis said by phone. Parks and Outdoors and public works' Urban Forestry division ordered almost 500 trees for this planting season, she said. The overall goal is to plant over 4,700 trees over the course of the project, which will continue through March 2028, she said.
Tree planting opportunities
Volunteer events run 9 a.m.-noon in these Chattanooga locations:
— Jan. 18 at Jefferson Park, 1730 Jefferson St.
— Jan. 20 at Southside Park, 3504 E. 36th St.
— Jan. 22 at Southside Park
— Jan. 29 at Alton Park, 213 W. 36th St.
— Feb. 12 at Tatum Park, 1609 Union Ave.
Gloves and tools will be provided. Workshops on proper planting techniques will occur before planting.
For more information and to sign up, visit chattanooga.gov/parks/volunteer.
"So, the goal is to create equitable access to green spaces and make sure we increase our tree canopy, which will improve air quality, mitigate the urban heat island effect and enhance stormwater management by reducing runoff," Mathis said.
In partnership with the UTC lab, Green Spaces and the Southeast Conservation Corps, the city will use the grant to fund new jobs split between the city and its nonprofit partners and work with the community to improve the urban environment, develop a green workforce and raise public awareness of trees and their benefits, according to a city news release. While the city will be planting trees in public parks, on city land and along major right-of-ways, the nonprofits will be working in communities to plant trees along neighborhood streets and on private property, Mathis said.
It takes time for a tree to grow and realize its optimal canopy, Mathis said. As with environmental changes in general, it is sometimes difficult to see the benefits quickly, but by 2028, Mathis said she hopes to see people taking notice of, being excited about and wanting to care for the city's tree canopy.
Contact Sam Still at sstill@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6579.