City of Tacoma is set to get all gung-ho on going green. I mean really green. Like tree green. City officials in charge of Tacoma’s Urban Forestry program recently presented to Tacoma’s Environment and Public Works Committee a comprehensive set of policy guidelines that would make it easier for citizens and others to plant and manage trees along Tacoma’s crumbling streets, and elsewhere.
Aside from being pretty, trees provide a host of benefits for the cities in which they grow. Trees literally clean the air by absorbing air pollutants and releasing oxygen. They reduce storm water runoff and erosion; they temper climate; they can save energy; they create wild life habitat; they can improve health, serve as screens, and strengthen community. They can even help contribute to a community’s economy and way of life.
But planting trees in a concrete jungle can be tough — mostly because trees have a will of their own, and can mess up more utilitarian features of the landscape such as power lines, homes and sidewalks. But a growing body of research shows that trees are a boon to the cities that choose to plant and manage them. Because of such conflicts, businesses, residents and community improvement organizations in Tacoma are required to plant only certain kinds of trees, and apply for a so-called tree-care permit if they decide to start seeding an urban forest, for example.
But current city codes aimed at managing trees in Tacoma are meager at best, says official Urban Forester Ramie Pierce. Citizens who plant, cut or trim trees without a permit, for example, are subject to criminal fines and even jail time. But to enforce city codes, which have no policy guidelines to support them, Pierce or another city staff member would have to collect hard evidence such as a confession, video tape or witness statements. They would then have to go before council and present their case, and then ask for a council resolution. If they weren’t laughed out of council chambers, staff could then apply the criminal penalty, which includes a $100 fine and up to 30 days in jail. That leaves Pierce and others in charge of policing trees with a ridiculous penalty that they can’t really enforce.
“It’s essentially unenforceable,” says Pierce.
The first step in correcting that problem and a host of others is to develop policy guidelines. The ones we have are sparse to non-existent, and are based on outdated science and practices. Pierce, who was hired full-time in 2008, presented newly drafted policy guidelines to a council committee in February. Those guidelines will circulate for the next several months, with hopes that the public will provide feedback and concerns, which Pierce says she takes very seriously.
“The overall goal is to have the urban forest recognized as an asset and as part of the city’s infrastructure and to have it not only recognized, but managed,” says Pierce. “We really want public input on this. We’re not trying to scoot this through. This is a big deal.”
Urgent matters currently include updates to the list of allowed trees; changes to enforcement measures, such as making planting without a permit a civil rather than a criminal violation; and collection of public feedback regarding the newly proposed policies, which will guide comprehensive plan amendments in 2010. Long term goals include development and dissemination of an urban forestry manual and final development of a comprehensive urban forestry management plan.
“This will make us more accountable,” says Pierce. “Going through this process will make sure it (new urban forestry policy) is what the public wants, and that it’s what’s best for the community.”
Comments for "Lean, mean and green" (1)
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Henry C. Bouton said on Mar. 07, 2009 at 6:54pm
ODE TO EARTH DAY
I‘m dreaming of a flood for Christmas with a New Year hang over.
Water, water, water everywhere
No one held accountable, anywhere.
You can’t fix greed, stupid.
Let it flood, let it flood, let it flood.
I think we will never see
A development as beautiful as a tree.
From the chambers of Pierce County corruption,
Supervised by failures of sierra club,
When Pierce County’s corrupt politicians
Allow the raping of the land and pave it black,
Then Mother Nature and the land will flood and slid.
When politicians lie and worship the golden calf,
Then there will be a time of rendering.
I‘m dreaming of a flood for Christmas with a New Year hang over.
Water, water, water everywhere
No one held accountable, anywhere.
You can’t fix greed, stupid.
Let it flood, let it flood, let it flood.
I think we will never see
A development as beautiful as a tree.
In the last few years, we have lived here, when MUD’s pouring down.
Political clouds of vagueness pouring chaos on Pierce County.
Good people through the bad times, trying to find the daylight;
And we ponder, still we ponder, who'll stop the MUD.
Oh, there’s that sinking feeling,
Sink, sink, sinking deeper into the slimy MUD,
Squeeze, squeeze the MUD between your toes
To secure the mendacious Pierce County politicians.
No where to call home.
Oh, there’s that sinking feeling,
No where to call home.
We went down to Pierce County Council, seeking shelter from the storm.
Caught up in the political fables, we watched the tower of babble grow.
Five year plans, new deals with corporations, swathed in golden coins.
And we ponder, still we ponder, who'll stop the MUD.
Oh, there’s that sinking feeling,
Sink, sink, sinking deeper into the slimy MUD,
Squeeze, squeeze the MUD between your toes
To secure the mendacious Pierce County politicians.
No where to call home.
Oh, there’s that sinking feeling,
No where to call home.
Heard the people praying, we loudly cheered for more.
Parishioners rushed together, trying to keep their homes.
Still the MUD keeps flowing, falling on THE PEOPLE,
And we ponder, still we ponder who'll stop the MUD.
I‘m dreaming of a flood for Christmas with a New Year hang over.
Water, water, water everywhere
No one held accountable, anywhere.
You can’t fix greed, stupid.
Let it flood, let it flood, let it flood.
I think we will never see
A development as beautiful as a tree.
I see the Pierce County chambers of corruption
And I want to pave them black.
No corruption anymore I want to pave it black.
I see the politicians dressed in black and white pinstripe clothes.
I have to close my eyes until the truth can be seen.
I see a line of black cars, pave it black,
With floods of MUD, the land never to come back.
I‘m dreaming of a flood for Christmas with a New Year hang over.
Water, water, water everywhere
No one held accountable, anywhere.
You can’t fix greed, stupid.
Let it flood, let it flood, let it flood.
I think we will never see
A development as beautiful as a tree.
I see residents turn their heads, rage in their eyes,
I look inside the Pierce County chambers and see the black hearts;
I see the chambers of corruption and I want to pave them black.
Maybe then evil will fade away, pave it black,
Its uneasy seeing Satan looking back when your whole world is turn to MUD.
I‘m dreaming of a flood for Christmas with a New Year hang over.
Water, water, water everywhere
No one held accountable, anywhere.
You can’t fix greed, stupid.
Let it flood, let it flood, let it flood.
I think we will never see
A development as beautiful as a tree.
No more will our green earth turn to black,
We can stop black happening to others,
When we look into the chambers of corruption with the flowing MUD.
Oh, there’s that sinking feeling,
Sink, sink, sinking deeper into the slimy MUD,
Squeeze, squeeze the MUD between your toes
To secure the mendacious Pierce County politicians.
No where to call home.
Oh, there’s that sinking feeling,
No where to call home.
Heard the people praying, we loudly cheered for more.
Parishioners rushed together, trying to keep their homes.
Still the MUD keeps flowing, falling on THE PEOPLE,
And we ponder, still we ponder who'll stop the MUD.
I‘m dreaming of a flood for Christmas with a New Year hang over.
Water, water, water everywhere
No one held accountable, anywhere.
You can’t fix greed, stupid.
Let it flood, let it flood, let it flood.
I think we will never see
A development as beautiful as a tree.
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