Explanation
Background: This ordinance authorizes the Director of the Recreation and Parks Department to apply for grant funding from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Urban Forestry Grant Program, which will be used to plant up to 2,500 street trees in disadvantaged neighborhoods in Columbus.
Street trees provide critical benefits to residents. They filter the air, cool the air, reduce flooding, and provide shade. Columbus has the fastest-growing and eighth-most intense heat island of 60 major cities studied. In 2022, a summer heat mapping campaign found a 13.2 degree difference in evening temperatures, confirming some residents are inequitably experiencing more heat stress. Planting public trees will reduce temperatures in neighborhoods disproportionately affected by urban heat.
The grant funds will be used to contract with local vendors to plant up to 2,500 street trees in the next five years, in neighborhoods that are considered disadvantaged based on the Climate & Economic Justice Screening Tool, a requirement of the grant. The City's recently completed street tree inventory identified 96,498 available planting sites. The estimated unit price per tree planted is $400.
Principal Parties:
Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry
2045 Morse Road, H-1
Columbus, Ohio 43229
Alistair Reynolds, (614) 265-6547
Emergency Justification: Emergency action is requested so the grant application can be submitted before grant awards are decided in January 2024.
Benefits to the Public: Increased tree canopy in under-served neighborhoods, providing air filtration, reduced flooding, shade, and other benefits to residents.
Community Input/Issues: The Urban Forestry Master Plan engaged thousands of stakeholders during its creation. Since its approval in 2021, numerous area commissions and civic organizations have requested street tree investments from the City.
Area(s) A...
Click here for full text