Trees
Trees are an imperative initiative to One Bright City. Brightside has incorporated programs focusing on planting and expanding the tree canopy. Brightside knows the positive impact trees have on our city and is working with the Louisville Tree Commission, the LMG Division of Community Forestry, Louisville Grows and Brown-Forman’s Legacy Tree program to increase tree population and expanding Louisville’s tree canopy.
Brightside, alongside great partners, will conduct a citizen forester training and organize spring and fall tree plantings. These plantings will engage and will empower the community to make a difference by contributing to this goal.
If you plant a tree, please register your tree on Brightside’s Tree Tracker and it will be added to the One Bright City interactive map. Brightside wants to hear about all activity, regardless of how big or small the projects are.
Louisville will reap a wide variety of benefits from increased tree plantings, such as the following:
- Economic- Strategically placed trees help homeowners and businesses save up to 56% annually on air-conditioning costs by providing shade and even decrease heating costs in the winter by providing insulation from the cold. In addition to energy savings, trees can help businesses be more successful. Shoppers in tree-lined commercial districts report more frequent shopping, longer trips, and willingness to spend more on goods. Trees also increase property values, with each tree adding up 1% to the sales price of a home or building.
- Environmental- The most well-known environmental benefit of trees is improved air quality. Trees not only absorb carbon dioxide to produce oxygen, the energy cuts they provide means less pollution from power plants. Environmental benefits extend to the water supply; trees reduce the amount of storm water runoff entering sewers and purify polluted water that runs through their roots. The shade trees provide not only helps individual homes, but on a larger scale reduces the Urban Heat Island Effect, which describes the temperature increase in urban areas due development and the resulting lack of vegetation.
- Social- A tree-filled community is not only a sustainable one but a healthier and safer one as well. Reduced air pollution from trees helps alleviate respiratory problems and exposure to trees reduces mental fatigue. Research shows that trees help reduce crime rates and foster more sociable neighborhoods, creating a safe and close-knit community. This is because the presence of trees beautifies an area, fostering civic pride. People are more likely to participate in and care about a city they are proud of and less likely to damage through crime.
