The city of Tampa will be adding hundreds of trees in two communities as part of the mayor’s mission to plant 30,000 new trees by 2030.
TAMPA, Fla. - The city of Tampa will be adding hundreds of trees in two communities as part of the mayor’s mission to plant 30,000 new trees by 2030.
"We were known, previously, as having one of the best tree canopies in the world," Mayor Jane Castor said. "Every five years, USF does a tree study in the city. This last tree study showed that we had lost approximately 8% of our canopy. And so, we are doing all that we can to replace that and replace it with trees that make a difference."
It’s not the best answer to climate change, but holy heck do trees do a lot of good. One good thing about trees in Florida is once the roots really set in and you reach a critical number of them, they provide hurricane protection. Used to the gulf coast was surrounded by wetland and swamp forming natural barrier against hurricane storms.
In my view urban tree planting is more about climate adaptation though it does have a small preventative benefit as well.
That said, it also has tons of non-climate benefits like better cardiovascular and mental health, lower crime, lower traffic speeds, increased biodiversity, flood mitigation, etc. You’re right that it won’t solve climate change but when you total the benefits it’s a no brainer for cities to go all in on it.