LEWISBURG WORKING TOWARD TREE CITY USA STATUS
Fern Greenbank
Community Storyteller
P
eople like Matt Mulliniks are not the only ones shouting the
praises of tree management and a respect for green space. The city
of Lewisburg is also embarking on a journey that will result in more
trees on city property and streets and better strategic planning for
green spaces and public parks.
In the City of Lewisburg’s 2020 Plan, there is a heavy emphasis
on being mindful of the role green spaces play in the economic development of a city. Maintaining the city’s rural character is a critical
component of the city’s identity, the plan reports. To make sure that
character is not lost, the consultants that facilitated the 2020 plan
suggested ways to address the issue of green space.
One of the actions taken by the city was the passing of ordinances
that will require new businesses or development on city property and
streets to meet certain signage and landscape guidelines, said Randall
Dunn, Lewisburg city manager. But this doesn’t address the existing
aesthetic problem the city has in certain places.
Lewisburg is putting a green philosophy into action through a
program called Tree City USA, a nationally recognized program that
falls under the direction of the Parks and Recreation Department. A
tree board has been created with Andrea Warf as the chairwoman.
“Right now, we are addressing obvious areas where people can
see immediate results,” said Warf. “We’ve planted trees around the
water treatment plant and soon the gas department. We’ve planted
around the city’s welcome signs. We’ve offered tree pruning classes
and Duck River has agreed to practice new tree management that will
result in less loss of trees.”
Warf said the group is in the beginning stages. It is assessing all
the ways it can meet the core requirements of the Tree City USA program. She said there are benefits to achieving Tree City status including the opportunity to apply for grants. And then, there’s just good old
fashioned personal pride in a city that recognizes the need for green
spaces and community parks.
Research tells us that trees help with stormwater management
and can reduce energy consumption by up to 25 percent. The Tree
City program studies have shown that planting just three additional
trees around each building in the country would result in a $2 billion
savings. Areas populated with trees also raise property values from
seven to 21 percent and buildings in areas with a lot of trees actually
rent more quickly and the tenants stay longer.
One of the important roles trees play is to build stronger communities. How? Trees and green spaces actually have been shown to
result in better neighborhoods and connections between them and
their neighbors.
“The first year, we concentrated on brush clean up,” Warf said.
“Now, we have a horticulturist who is helping us decide where to
plant and what kind of trees are best for a particular place.”
Using trees to help stop erosion and replacing aged or dying trees
is also on the board’s priority list. The group is also promoting a memorial tree program that gets communities and individuals involved
in this effort to improve public spaces and aesthetics.
Participating in the commemorative tre H