BENTONVILLE -- Trees may play a larger role in city planning as officials heard about the benefits of tree canopies Tuesday evening.
Ian Hanou of Plan-It Geo spoke to the City Council about the economic and environmental impact trees have in the city. He spoke to the Planning Commission before the council meeting.
At A Glance
Council Action
Bentonville’s City Council met Tuesday and approved:
• A property line adjustment at 710 N.W. 2nd St.
• Final plat for Northwest Angel Falls Road
• Tabling a rezoning 2415 S.W. Regional Airport Blvd. from agriculture to residential estate.
• Appointing Scott Eccleston to the Tree and Landscape Advisory Committee.
• Vacating a drainage easement in Lot Stone Meadow Addition.
• Vacating a utility easement at Lot 6 Halifax Subdivision.
• A Sept. 9 public hearing for a utility easement vacations in Virginia’s Grove Subdivision.
• A $150,000 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to pay for the Airport Master Plan Update.
Source: Staff Report
The Tree and Landscape Advisory Committee has been working with the Arkansas Forestry Commission and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service to do assess the percentage of tree canopy in the city.
Denver-based Plan-It Geo did the assessment.
The city's urban forest consists of trees, forests, gardens, green spaces and other natural areas, according to council documents.
The city is about 25 percent tree canopy and 48 percent is available for tree planting, Hanou said. The recommended goal is for 35 percent to be tree canopy.
Trees provide several economic benefits, Hanou said.
It's estimated trees have contributed $1.7 million annually to air pollution removal, $500,000 in carbon removal and $2.8 million in avoided storm water infrastructure cost, according to Hanou.
Trees also have a direct economic savings to households through energy conservation, Hanou said. They provide cooler temperatures through shade in the summer and block wind in the winter.
"There's a huge impact that trees have on property values that come back through tax revenues to a city," he said.
The assessment also looked at tree coverage based on zoning. Forty percent of the city is zoned residential, and that represents 52 percent of all tree covere, Hanou said. More than a third of the potential planting is on residential land.
Land zoned agriculture averages 23 percent tree coverage and makes up almost a quarter of the tree cover, he added.
"As those areas are developed, that's an area where preservation and protection of the tree cover for all different types of economic and environmental benefits is important," Hanou said.
One of the first recommended steps for the city is to create an urban forest plan, and a piece of that can establish goals, Hanou said.
"You can't manage something you don't have a plan for," he said.
He also recommended the city consider hiring an arborist to create plans, inspect and maintain trees and enforce policies.
Other recommendations included expanding the Tree Planting Blitz, establishing partnerships with groups and educating people on the benefits and importance of trees.
Bill Burckart, Ward 3 alderman, asked how the city could get more trees on residential lots and if creating a policy was recommended.
Troy Galloway, director of community and economic development, said the study is to help inform future policy decisions, not create policy right now.
City officials will continue to focus on planting trees on public property, he said. There will be an effort to encourage and work with property owners associations and property owners to increase the number of trees in neighborhoods, he added.
The project is part of the Canopy in the Mid-South grant, which includes 16 cities throughout Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi.
NW News on 08/27/2014