By Jim Bloch
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago,” said Jim Soto. “The second-best time is now.”
That’s how Soto, a professor of philosophy and English at St. Clair County Community College, and chair of Port Huron’s new Forestry Management Workgroup, opened his March 23 presentation to the city council on the importance of expanding the city’s tree canopy.
The workgroup was formed with the goal of expanding the city’s tree canopy coverage, which now stands at 24.9 percent, according to Southeastern Michigan Council of Governments.
SEMCOG recommends a coverage goal of 40 percent. That’s the threshold above which it’s possible to cool the heat-island effects of heat-holding buildings and streets. Significant numbers of trees help increase biodiversity in the canopy itself, and provide habitats for animals, birds and insects. Dense tree canopies reduce stress in people, help remove — and store — carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, thus helping to reduce climate change. Trees and their root systems reduce stormwater runoff by slowing and absorbing the flow of water during storms. Plentiful trees lower energy costs, slow traffic speeds and increase property values.
The workgroup consisted of Soto; residents Erin Kreiner, Tyler Moldovan and Jeff Gushman; city council member Barb Payton; Eric Whittier, director of the city’s DPW; Brent Moore, the city’s engineering manager; Sheri Faust, director of Friends of the St. Clair River; and Jason Kulman, supervisor of the city’s forestry division.
The group soon discovered that it could not measure canopy expansion unless it established an accurate baseline of existing trees.
It solicited bids from companies to conduct a tree count in the city and recommended hiring BioTech Consultants, a subsidiary of EnviroTrac, LLC.
For $113,000, the company will survey each tree on public and private property within the city, recording its GPS location, species, size, health, site condition and maintenance
needs. The city owns the rights-of-way along 142 miles of streets, as well as 187 acres of city parks and 105 acres of cemeteries.
The company will also develop a forestry management plan for the city, which will be folded into the city’s master plan.
The council voted unanimously to hire BioTech to conduct the tree assessment.
Residents may pitch in immediately, said Soto. There are still 54 free trees available out of the 200 obtained by the city for its tree program. Google “Port Huron Tree Program” for an application.
“Our tree canopy coverage has been slowly declining over the years,” Soto said, as heard on the recording of the meeting posted on YouTube, and it might get worse before it gets better. “We have a lot of very old trees and a lot of silver maples that are nearing the end of their lifespans.”
The first step is to protect and conserve.
“If you have a tree, please don’t cut it down,” said Soto.
The second is a more aggressive tree planting schedule, one that may extend into decades.
To spearhead the effort, the workgroup should be supplanted by a permanent forestry outreach volunteer group. The engagement of residents in the effort may be enhanced by social media outreach, a new website and commitments from administrators and elected officials.
“I do see this as an investment,” said City Manager James Freed. “The document and the inventory will make it much more likely to get significant grant funding in the future. There are significant pools of grant funds available that require such an inventory and plan. I think this will pay for itself in the long run.”
Jim Bloch is a freelance writer based in St. Clair, Michigan. Contact him at bloch.jim@gmail.com.
