Let's hear it for urban forestry.

That's half a human tall. Is it time to mow the sidewalk yet?

Were trees or urban heat islands mentioned at any point during Emperor Gahan's re-enthronement campaign? I didn't think so.

If so, I don't remember it -- apart from a meme or two of bragging, sans substantiation, about tree plantings that we seldom see. The infernal hum of chain saws are another story.

Look, here's the thing ... as in the other questions we ask ... how about some proof?

You know, something that actually shows the number of trees gone, as opposed to the number planted. We have an arborist and a tree board, right?

Surely they have hard, real statistics.

Can we see the statistics?

Because of the stats aren't there, how can the self-congratulatory memes be anything other than fake news?

Re-greening: can Louisville plant its way out of a heat emergency? by Josh Wood (The Guardian)

The Kentucky city is the fastest-warming urban heat island in the US – and as its temperature has risen, its tree cover has plummeted

There are parts of Louisville, Kentucky, that are enveloped in green, where towering trees arc over broad avenues and walkers, joggers and bikers enjoy beautiful parks designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the man who drew up plans for Manhattan’s Central Park.

Even on the hottest days of summer, these neighbourhoods feel comparatively refreshing next to the more sun-baked quarters of the city, where shade is often an unavailable commodity on the street.

Cities are their own climates, often hotter than their surroundings due to the way surfaces like asphalt trap heat even as cars and buildings exude it. When a city is markedly warmer than surrounding rural areas, it is called an urban heat island – and Louisville ranks among the worst heat islands in the US, according to a 2014 study, with an average temperature difference of 2.7C (4.8F). Worse still, a 2012 study by Georgia Tech’s Urban Climate Lab found that Louisville was the fastest-warming urban heat island in the nation.

Part of the reason for Louisville’s temperature extremes is geography. But a lot of it comes down to trees ...

Silence at home, but in Nashville TN, a "campaign to restore and enlarge the city’s tree canopy."

New Albany has a Tree Board, and over the years, I've experienced a great deal of trouble when trying to learn from it exactly what the city's urban canopy plan is, and where the plan (if any) is lodged.

Could I have a look?

I started asking for information two years ago, and never received it. We see dozens of trees being felled all around the city, and some of them replanted, but in spite of requests to be shown the comparative numbers, there remains no accurate public accounting.

In the past, I have suggested that little more can be expected from public officials who don't go outside often enough to know the difference between standing in the sun and standing in the shade -- who drive and never walk, who react and never think. I may or may not have been too harsh.

However, one thing cannot be disputed: while other cities make their tree canopy plans available and go so far as to enlist public participation (see below), ours keeps its urban canopy goals (whatever these might be) safely under wraps, as though they were a state secret.

In New Albany at the present time, there is only one consistent City Hall policy unifying the mayor's stewardship: control in the person of the mayor himself and the mayor's closest confidantes. Whether good, bad or indifferent, all decisions emanate from this need to keep a tight lid on information, and to allow citizen participation only under intricately proscribed and mostly inane conditions.

Residents may or may not find this situation conducive to their lives. I'd merely make the point that there is another way, and there will be alternatives come 2019, and our next round of municipal elections.

Meanwhile, there's Nashville.

More Trees, Happier People, by Margaret Renkl (New York Times)

When cities grow, green space dies. Replanting it has been shown to lift the human spirit.

NASHVILLE — The scene in a tiny pocket park outside Plaza Mariachi here on Nolensville Pike last Wednesday was like a tableau from a Norman Rockwell painting, 21st-century style. Surrounded by signs advertising the Hispanic Family Foundation, Dubai Jewelry, the Dominican Barber Shop and restaurants offering Peruvian, Chinese, Mediterranean and Indian food — as well as a Game Stop franchise and H&R Block — was a small sign that read, “Today: Free trees.”

The arrow on the sign pointed to a pop-up canopy where the Nashville Tree Foundation was hosting its fourth tree giveaway of October. A family standing under the canopy was posing for a photo with the sapling they had just adopted. Carolyn Sorenson, executive director of the foundation, was taking the picture: “Say ‘trees’!” she said.

The tree giveaway at Plaza Mariachi happened to fall on the very day that Nashville’s mayor, David Briley, announced a campaign to restore and enlarge the city’s tree canopy. The effort, called “Root Nashville,” will be overseen by the city and the Cumberland River Compact, an environmental nonprofit, and funded through a combination of public, corporate, foundation and private dollars. Together with several municipal departments and other nonprofit organizations, the initiative aims to plant 500,000 trees in Davidson County by 2050 ...

Seismologists record earthshaking Tree Board orgasms as Schoolmaster Barksdale's chain saw strikes again.

It's been a tough week if you're a downtown New Albany street tree.

When one of your brethren decided to strike a blow against car-centrism, it was inevitable that hostages would be taken, tried, sentenced and quickly dispatched.

No last meals or final requests, just those signature red plastic bands -- and the sound of chortling from Schoolmaster Barksdale as his trademark Husqvarna was lubed and revved for duty.

Early this morning, the latest round of carnage was complete on the orphaned south side of Market, by Hannegan Hall.

Fellow street tree, your appointment with the Robespierres of the Tree Board will soon be processed.

But for now, there goes your brother, off to be rendered into firewood, with the proceeds destined to be deposited into Dear Leader's burgeoning re-election fund.

Earlier in the week, for no apparent reason, this row of street trees on Elm Street by the former St. Mary's school received the condemned terrorist treatment.

Sarcasm aside, if once -- just once -- an elected or appointed city official would mention aloud the issue of urban heat islands (to cite one relevant example), and display a semblance of awareness of the implications, then I'd be more inclined to accept his or her persistent tree removal reasoning.

But when the rationale for removal embraces the crazed notion that trees must be removed so our precious historic buildings can be properly viewed by people in passing cars who are too lazy (or overheated) to get out and walk, then I call bullshit -- and will continue to do so.

Previously:

Earth to Gahan: Street trees increase home prices, shade trees reduce household energy use, and these effects can be measured and expressed in dollars.

Chainsaws are the soundtrack to our anchors: "How Should We Pay for Street Trees?"

#FlushTheClique

Not a single tree in this city has a chance so long as David Barksdale and Jeff Gahan wield the chain saws, and Freud would have a field day with the phallic symbolism.

$10 million to alleviate "inhumane" working conditions in the City-County Building, but not a farthing to spend on real people or living trees.

These really are absolutely horrid functionaries. Just horrid.

Three red ribbons have been wrapped around three trees in front of St.Mary’s school on Elm Street. I’ll bet you a dollar against a dozen doughnuts that Councilman Barksdale and Mayor Gahan have them slated for imminent amputation. And our City Forester is ready to comply.

Sad sad sad. One looks at least 40 - 50 years old.

It doesn't stop with yet another clear cut.

Did you read the horrible paragraph on the back of the “Stormwater News”? The “Message from Mayor Jeff Gahan” is a piece of steaming dog shit.

You mean this?

Deforestation hinders the stormwater control effort, but let's not ignore how stupefyingly banal this message reads, although the mayor has a reasonable retort: "Do you really think I write the words my name is attached to"?

Anchor-approved arborist: Perhaps David Barksdale's Tree Bored can use this exciting new toy to "beautify" Market Street.

"Damn," said former redevelopment kingpin David Duggins. "If only we'd used one of these for the Greenway, Summit Springs, Main Street, Judge Cody's place, Thomas Street, Bicentennial Park ... say, do ya think it might work on those crappy buildings at my public housing estate?"

Come to Stump City: Yet another artlessly staged photo purports to show that Deaf Gahan really cares about trees. Problem is, history suggests otherwise.

No single administration in recent memory has felled as many trees as Team Gahan.

No single governing clique in recent memory has failed as often as Gahan's when it comes to making trees a genuine priority during this time of urban heat island awareness.

No single Republican in recent memory has filled as many ground-down stump holes for a Democratic mayor with such enthusiasm as David Barksdale.

No single Tree Board in recent memory has fizzled for so long resisting a legitimate request for meeting minutes (mine dates to May of 2016), although it must be conceded that Bob Caesar holds the record for sheer longevity insofar as refusing to divulge information to taxpayers requesting it.

The following randomly arranged photos depict some of the highlights of Gahan's clear-cutting fetish these past six years. How much more of this strange "love" can the city's tree canopy withstand?

And every now and then, he just pretends.

It doesn't convince anyone.

Previously (August 2017):

Team Gahan has clear-cut virtually the entire city, so it's the perfect time to begin pretending the junta cares about trees.

Post-clearcutting cycle of nourishment: "Shelby Place median in New Albany to get facelift."

Just one Gahan campaign donation from 2015.

2016 Democratic visionaries.

"It looks like Shelby Place soon will be getting a facelift."

Not a probing question asked, not a spade of earth disturbed. Just take their word for it, and move on. Steady rivulets under the radar are how beaks come to be wetted, but it's nothing to a journalist, right?

Fourth Estate?

Let me know if you spot it. It's been missing so long that I fear the worst.

Shelby Place median in New Albany to get facelift, by Chris Morris (Stenographers of the World Unite)

The New Albany Board of Public Works & Safety approved a proposal from T.A. Ginkins Company LLC Tuesday to improve the median landscape and lighting on Shelby.

The plan, which is for $39,447, calls for the removal of existing trees and shrubs which already has taken place and to install new landscaping. The proposal is for new trees, shrubs, soil and brick chips, which was submitted to the city by Grantline Garden Center last July. New lighting and posts will also be added to the median which separates both lanes of the street.

A brick/stone entrance wall facing Vincennes Street, engraved with Shelby Place, also will be installed.

"This will make it 100 percent better. The neighbors are behind the project," City Controller Linda Moeller told the board after reading the proposal.

Terry Ginkins said the planting of the new landscaping, which will be done by Grantline Garden Center, is weather related. He said the entrance will also include an historic designation marker.

"It's going to be a nice little project," Ginkins said. "I think it will look good, but it's right across from New Albany High School so it should look good. A lot of people visit the school."

Your turn, Shelby Place: City Hall's insatiable Husqvarna envy claims a few more trees before year's end.

Your turn, Shelby Place: City Hall's insatiable Husqvarna envy claims a few more trees before year's end.

Top: December 30, 2017.
Bottom: Circa 2014 (Google Maps).

Has any previous mayor of New Albany hated trees as much as Jeff Gahan?

Chainsaws are the soundtrack to our anchors: "How Should We Pay for Street Trees?"

Don’t ask Jeff Gahan about tree canopies or heat islands. He can’t hear you for the pervasive sound of chainsaws.

Yes, I understand that articles like this one speak of matters from the perspective of larger urban entities than New Albany.

And I also understand that an urban canopy cannot be funded as part of a city's public health infrastructure when no such thing even exists. Work with the Floyd County Heath Department? It's one instance where I'd laugh along with Deaf Gahan.

My point: the Tree Board can be funded to do more than it does at present, and what it does at present needs to be open and transparent. Currently it is neither, and that's why until Gahan proves he isn't the most profound serial feller of trees in the city's recent history, I'll keep suggesting he is.

Urban canopy master plan, anyone?

How Should We Pay for Street Trees? by Teresa Mathew (CityLab)

A new report argues that the urban canopy should be considered—and funded—as a part of a city’s public health infrastructure.

Trees have proved to aid mental health, decrease obesity and other health risks, and just generally make people happier. But they are often thought of as a luxury rather than a vital component of healthcare or urban infrastructure. In a new report, The Nature Conservancy, a conservation-focused nonprofit, argues that trees are an important public health asset and should be funded as such.

“Just like the public health sector has gotten used to thinking about walkable cities as something they need to care about, we’re advocating that they need to think about nature and parks as part of that quest,” says Robert McDonald, a lead scientist at The Nature Conservancy and co-author of the report.

McDonald hopes that cities will start to integrate urban forestry into their other health, wellness, and environmental initiatives. Despite the benefits, there are multiple reasons why tree planting falls by the wayside. For one, it’s a process that often requires the coordination of multiple agencies—not just forestry, but other departments like transportation and water. “We’ve set up our cities so there’s one agency to manage trees and parks, and they don’t have a health mandate. Other agencies do care about health, but don’t have a mandate to plant trees,” McDonald explains. Cities often do not see the link between residents’ health and the presence of trees.

Earth to Gahan: Street trees increase home prices, shade trees reduce household energy use, and these effects can be measured and expressed in dollars.

Following up on Saturday's post ...

Pusillanimous prioritization? Nickels and dimes later, it remains that we need HUNDREDS of trees planted yearly, not a few dozen.

There it is, in a nutshell. The city needs hundreds of trees planted, not a few dozen, and confronted with this fact, the city council president can think of nothing more relevant to suggest than a bake sale.

Presumably we can hold this nickel-and dime event in July amid the urban heat island. Or, we might fund the Tree Board to succeed -- and if city officials ever stepped outside their air conditioned cars and walked a few blocks, they might grasp the need.

... our friend W found two informative links. First, what it costs to plant trees.

Tree Planting Costs

Tree planting is a special task that can add to property value and increase curb appeal of the property, and may also serve to better separate your property from neighbors.

Average cost of a 4’ - 6’ tree, planted (about $ 106 each)

Then, how to determine what these trees are worth in cold, hard cash value.

Calculating the Green in Green: What's an Urban Tree Worth?

For urban dwellers, trees soften a city’s hard edges and surfaces, shade homes and streets, enhance neighborhood beauty, filter the air, mitigate storm runoff, and absorb carbon dioxide. Trees may even reduce crime and improve human health. However, these benefits have not been well quantified, making it difficult for urban planners and property owners to weigh their costs and benefits or assess tree cover against competing land uses.

New research from the Pacific Northwest (PNW) Research Station demonstrates that street trees increase home prices in Portland, Oregon, that shade trees reduce household energy use in Sacramento, California, and that these effects can be measured and expressed in dollars.

A study led by economist Geoffrey Donovan, research forester with the PNW Research Station, determined that trees planted on the south and west sides of Sacramento houses reduced summertime electricity bills by an average of $25.16. In a second study in Portland, Donovan’s team found that street trees growing in front of or near a house added an average $8,870 to its sale price and reduced its time on the market by nearly 2 days. These economic benefits spilled over to neighboring properties: a neighborhood tree growing along the public right¬of-way added an average of $12,828 to the combined value of all the houses within 100 feet.

Pusillanimous prioritization? Nickels and dimes later, it remains that we need HUNDREDS of trees planted yearly, not a few dozen.

This is what the two Rogers are talking about.

Let's pop the champagne -- the trees have been cleared!

Wait ... two Rogers?

Really?

So it seems. Meet this other Roger, who has written an excellent letter to the otherwise somnolent newspaper.

Need more green space, not less

Have you driven by the Clarksville Municipal Center property facing Veterans Parkway? It is sad to see the destruction of all the lawnscape and trees. We need to have more green space, not less. It is an unobstructed view of blight by our elected politicians in selling public domain land paid for by the taxpayers. Our politicians seem to chase the “almighty dollar.”

I have several questions. Did they have the right to sell the property? Why wasn’t the public better informed of this sale? Should we start to worry about other lands, Lapping Park, the golf courses, the area around the swimming pool? All of these properties supposedly belong to “all of us.”

What kind of absolute power have we given these politicians? I will express my displeasure with this event next time at the ballot box.

— Roger Cross, Clarksville

For a very long, I've been curious how many trees are planted in New Albany annually, and what role (if any) an obviously under-funded Tree Board plays in any of it.

Team Gahan has clear-cut virtually the entire city, so it's the perfect time to begin pretending the junta cares about trees.

Surely not since the founding Scribners set out to clear land for the civic forerunner of present-day New Gahania have so many trees fallen as during the reign of Jeffrey I.

He insists more trees have been planted than cut, though the documentary evidence of such remains hidden safely within the labyrinthine bowels of Lawyer Gibson's Information Protection Program.

Witness the information I asked of the Tree Board in April of 2016. Sixteen months later it presumably reposes on a shelf in Gibson's bookless study, gathering dust, right there next to the remaining Bicentennial coffee table tomes that Bob Caesar insists were sold out to an eager public at $50 a pop, later to be handed out like lollipops at ribbon cuttings even as Caesar and associates denies the existence of any records pertaining to the Bicentennial Commission's activities.

Recent city council budget hearings provide an answer.

Mr. Streips stated they (Tree Board) have planted around 70-75 trees around town and their goal by the end of the year is 100 new plantings.

Mr. McLaughlin asked if they could do anything like a "buy a tree" fundraiser.

There it is, in a nutshell. The city needs hundreds of trees planted, not a few dozen, and confronted with this fact, the city council president can think of nothing more relevant to suggest than a bake sale.

Presumably we can hold this nickel-and dime event in July amid the urban heat island. Or, we might fund the Tree Board to succeed -- and if city officials ever stepped outside their air conditioned cars and walked a few blocks, they might grasp the need.

BIG LEAK! The Green Mouse has obtained an advance copy of Deaf Gahan's "Long Term Urban Canopy Inventory and Management."

Well, just these three pages. The Green Mouse wasn't feeling very well, and he decided to move to Jeffersonville.

The simple fact is we've all become numb to Jeff Gahan's signature Shade Eradication Program.

What Judge Cody wants, Judge Cody gets -- with valet efficiency. The remainder of us wait years for our stumps to be ground and replantings to occur.

Meanwhile, Gahan's shadeless semi-walkability proceeds apace. It's an exquisitely banal dictatorship ... but it's our exquisitely banal dictatorship, with anchor cuff links and everything.

Team Gahan has clear-cut virtually the entire city, so it's the perfect time to begin pretending the junta cares about trees.

Surely not since the founding Scribners set out to clear land for the civic forerunner of present-day New Gahania have so many trees fallen as during the reign of Jeffrey I.

He insists more trees have been planted than cut, though the documentary evidence of such remains hidden safely within the labyrinthic bowels of Lawyer Gibson's Information Protection Program.