3/7/2008

New Urban Greening “Take Root” Program Will Break Ground on March 7
Mayor Ron Littlefield to plant the first tree at Arbor Day celebration

Green is now the new—green.

And on Friday, March 7, Mayor Ron Littlefield will help celebrate Chattanooga going greener as the “Take Root” program is announced at the Arbor Day Celebration at Battle Academy. Take Root allows individuals, groups and businesses buy a tree or trees, which will then be planted and maintained by the city. The public is invited to attend the event, which will also feature guest Cindy Sexton of WRCB-Channel 3.

When Mayor Littlefield lifts a shovel of earth to plant the project’s first tree, it will be the “first leaf” of a project that has brought together many partners, The City of Chattanooga’s Tree Commission, City Forester Gene Hyde, Select Trees of Athens, Georgia, Project Green Team of the 2007-08 Leadership Chattanooga class, UTC’s Graphic Design department, The Community Foundation, The Urban Century Institute, and Chattanooga State, in a shared vision of greening our city while reducing its carbon footprint.

In 2006, Mayor Littlefield signed the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, which committed Chattanooga to cutting carbon dioxide emissions 7 percent below our 1990 levels.

"This is really a unique way to help with the greening of Chattanooga," said City Forester Gene Hyde. “Our goal is to achieve a 15 percent canopy goal in the downtown area. Every new tree planted gets us a little closer to that goal.”  The benefits of additional trees include:

• Energy savings.
• Carbon dioxide sequestration. A single tree stores an average of 13 pounds of carbon annually. A community forest can store 2.6 tons of carbon per acre per year.
• Improved air quality.
• Stormwater benefits.
• Improved aesthetics.

“A healthy, growing tree is essentially a pollution-eating device and a mini-air conditioner,” Hyde notes. He has assigned a specific species of tree to each of the nearly 1,500 initial planting spots, which are located primarily in the downtown area.

During the ceremony, Chattanooga also will be recognized as a Tree City USA community for the 18th consecutive year. The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the National Arbor Day Foundation and the USDA Forest Service. Chattanooga has met the four standards to become a Tree City USA community: A tree board, a tree-care ordinance, a comprehensive community forestry program, and an Arbor Day observance.This award will be made by the Tennessee Division of Forestry to the Chattanooga Tree Commission.

"Trees in our cities and towns help to clean the air, conserve soil and water, moderate temperature, and bring nature into our daily lives," said John Rosenow, president of The National Arbor Day Foundation. "Tree City USA designation recognizes the work of elected officials, staff, and citizens who plant and care for the community forest."