TAMPA, Fla. — There's a unique beauty and splendor to Tampa's canopy cover. Jill Corcoran says the 500-grand oak tree in her front yard is her favorite thing about her home.
"It gives a beautiful look to the neighborhood. Not only that, keep in mind, whenever there's trees, things feel cool," she said.
Tampa's 10.4 million trees give us so much more than something to look at. Each year, Tampa's urban forest reduces 1004 tons of air pollutants. According to the city, that frees up about $9.9 million in healthcare costs.
"Better quality air, being able to walk and not have to deal with some of the heat stresses that we've been dealing with," said Brian Knox, the city's Senior Forester Examiner.
Shade, health benefits, and beauty are all reasons you've likely heard when it comes to protecting trees. The city of Tampa says there are even more benefits than those.
"People tend to respond really well to trees in businesses. So, for example, if you're shopping, more people tend to like shopping in areas where there are trees, more citizens tend to like to live in areas where there are tree line canopy," said Knox.
The city reports tree canopy ranged from a low 7% in the Channel District and 9% in the Tampa Downtown Partnership to a high of 73% in Tampa Palms, 60% in Hunter's Green Pinnacle, and 57% in New Suburb Beautiful. Tampa Palms, Old Seminole Heights, Gandy Civic Association, and Hunters Green neighborhood associations have the largest total acreage of tree canopy. The tree canopy is higher in neighborhoods with children and elderly residents.
The city started monitoring its trees in 2006 to figure out how to balance development and our tall green and brown neighbors, letting both coexist.
"That was actually something that was initiated by city council with the assistance of developers in the city of Tampa, to know how the balance is actually happening between tree removal and development within the city," Knox said.
But the latest study revealed coexisting hasn't precisely worked out.
"We've been losing canopy since 2011. And what has happened is in 2016 to 2021, we've lost a greatest amount of tree canopy," Knox said. "Our tree canopy is hitting that 30% mark where you start to lose the other ecological benefits that trees can provide in a city."
The city's ecological study found since 2011, Tampa has lost 3,300 acres of trees. 2021 hit the lowest canopy cover percentage in 26 years.
For months, Jill Corcoran fought to protect a tree near and dear to her. We first told you about her fight in June. She lives across the street from the Ritz Carlton Residences development project. The tree in front of her home sits in the path of a soon-to-be sidewalk. Corcoran says arborists have told her if the sidewalk is put over the trees roots, it could eventually kill the tree.
"I've had two or three arborists out here who said that will kill your tree. And they're right. The folks next door put cement over a tree, and in two years, it was dead," she said.
If the tree dies, it could even cost her money.
"The shade alone keeps our houses so cool," she added.
The city estimates we save about $6.3 million in residential ac and heating from our trees.
Corcoran says while the city focuses on replacing trees it took down, she wants them to also worry about the existing ones at risk.
On Thursday, July 13, the city will host a symposium focused on the current strategy to protect, grow, and manage Tampa's invaluable tree canopy and vegetation.
The symposium is at the Tampa River Center. It's set to start at 6 P.M. and go until 8 P.M.
