canopy

 

Historically, sub-tropical southern Florida was covered with trees, from beautiful hardwood hammock trees such as the gumbo limbo, to towering pine rockland slash pines along the Miami Rock Ridge, to the white, red, and black mangroves lining the coast.

  

Together they formed a continuous natural "roof" of trees over the land. Today, Miami-Dade County’s urban areas have less than 10% tree canopy coverage, with many areas averaging only 1-3%!! Most cities in the US average a 30% tree canopy cover.

Why are Urban Trees Important?

SW 11 Avenue in Little Havana with no trees. SW 11 Avenue in Little Havana with mature trees.
Images courtesy of the Trust for Public Land, as part of the East Little Havana Greenprint, a process that engages the community in designing and implementing a cohesive green infrastructure

Economic

Environmental Benefits
  • Billions of dollars worth of food (nuts, fruit, berries) and lumber
  • Medicine-Compounds extracted from trees are used to produce medicines
  • Trees have shown to increase property values by as much as 15%
  • Trees save money on energy costs through their cooling effect
  • Sustainable forestry and supporting industries provide billions of jobs
  • For business owners and restaurants, shoppers and diners tend to linger longer around areas with trees
  • The environmental benefits of trees save cities millions is saved energy bills, reduce mitigation for stormwater and air pollution, and erosion
  
  • Trees suck up Carbon (act as Carbon sinks) and reduce the greenhouse effect.
  • Trees provide critical habitat for Wildlife
  • Trees filter pollutants from air and provide oxygen
  • Trees filter pollutants from water
  • Trees help recharge underground aquifers (drinking water) by allowing more water to be absorbed into the ground
  • Trees provide shade and lower the temperature of the surrounding area (which reduces electric bills)
  • Trees improve fisheries by preventing river and stream bank erosion
  • Trees reduce noise pollution by absorbing sound waves
  • Trees prevent soil erosion by holding soil with their roots and acting as windbreaks
  • Trees reduce stormwater runoff by absorbing water and slowing the flow of water to the ground by catching water with their leaves
Social
  
Beauty
  • Trees reduce stress
  • Trees reduce crime by making areas more inviting places to pass time
  • Trees provide a sense of pride and community for a neighborhood
  • Trees provide a comfortable, interesting place for outdoor recreation
  • Research indicates children with ADD have better behavior in green environments
  
  • Trees screen unsightly views
  • Trees soften the corners of buildings
  • Trees provide privacy
  • Trees add color and variety to the landscape