One for the Lorax

It's time we start seeing the city for the trees.

The recent heatwave brought to mind an issue that's occupied me for some time now. Namely, how to get more trees into the city. Walk from a shady block to an unshaded one and you'll know what I mean. More than just decorations for suburban yards, trees shade cars and pedestrians, keep cooling costs down for houses and other buildings, filter air pollution and reduce stormwater runoff.

Walking and driving around the greater Baltimore metro area, I'm surprised at just how many places here could, and should, have more trees. Too many treeless yards, too many sidewalks exposed to the sun. Highway medians and shoulders covered only in grass, if that.

Expanding the tree canopy in cities like Baltimore can drive down overall temperatures, helping to reduce the need for air conditioning during much of the summer, even during heatwaves. Paved streets, sidewalks and parking lots, plus tall buildings and lots of brick and concrete, radiate heat like an outdoor oven. We will have to redesign tall buildings to use less energy and absorb less heat, but as for everything else, all we need are a few more trees.

This is especially important with the impending BGE rate hike in Maryland, but applies throughout the country. Obviously a densely packed neighborhood like Hampden can't have as many trees as Roland Park, but the extra shade provided by tree-lined streets would still provide some relief from the heat that would otherwise be radiating off streets, sidewalks and buildings. And make the area more pleasant, to boot.

Air filters are increasingly popular in offices and houses, so why not apply the same logic to the outdoors? Trees filter air pollution at the local level and, coupled with other pollution-fighting techniques, can greatly improve residents' health and quality of life. Additionally, runoff from this area is killing the Chesapeake Bay. More trees means less poison flowing into the bay.

Baltimore, especially, has plenty of room for trees. The city should require builders to preserve more of the canopy and create incentives for property owners of all kinds (homes, businesses and others) to plant trees themselves. Baltimore can take the initiative by planting trees on all city-owned property and along the rights of way of every street and thoroughfare in the city limits. In addition, the city can also work with conservation groups to purchase and protect the few remaining urban forests in the city, setting them aside as mini nature preserves.

New trees alone won't turn the worst neighborhoods in Baltimore into safe and friendly places, it won't reduce traffic and won't turn failing city schools into elite prep. schools. But with global warming looming over the city, as well as blackouts and heat-related deaths becoming as common in summer as fireflies and cookouts, every little thing helps.