|
Sponsored by the Environmental Assistance Office (EAO)
for Small Business at UNC Charlotte, The
Environmental Corner is designed to serve as an
environmental management and pollution prevention
resource.
Do you own a small business that has a little land
to spare? Is this land vacant? If it is,
you might want to consider planting some trees.
This month's newsletter explores the multitude of
benefits associated with our leafy green friends!
Read on to learn more about
Planting Trees for Economic
Gain!
In this issue:
Links:
Other Resources
Upcoming Earth Day Events
City of Charlotte Tree Ordinance
Trees are so important to the economic and
environmental health of a city that the
City of Charlotte Tree Ordinance requires tree
planting with new construction. However, even
if you are not expanding, you should still consider
planting trees for their many benefits (see
Benefits of Planting Trees).
Having said that... if you are
a small business and are planning on expanding, then tree
planting should definitely be on your mind. However, do
not view this as a bad thing. As you will see
throughout this newsletter, trees are beneficial on
several levels. Aside from the obvious
aesthetic benefits... Trees also provide
economic and environmental benefits (as will be
discussed later). If you are interested in
learning more and would like to talk to a member of
the Urban Forestry Staff, please see the following
link:
Urban Forestry Staff Inspection Area Map.
As
an FYI, The
Charlotte Tree Advisory Commission, on behalf of the
Mayor and City Council, annually presents Tree
Appreciation Awards in six different categories.
These categories are Commercial/Retail,
Office/Office Complex, Industrial, Institutional,
Multi-family Residential, and Single-family
Residential. Special awards may also be given
to projects that fall outside the categories.
These awards recognize excellence in tree
preservation and/or planting. To be eligible,
the site must have been complete for one year.
For more information on how to nominate an
outstanding tree preservation and/or planting
project in Charlotte, please see the
Tree Appreciation Award Nomination Form.
Return to top of page
Land Development Services - Tree Requirements
Perimeter Tree Requirements describes the number
of small and large maturing trees, required base
length of front property in linear feet, and ideal
spacing of trees.
Planting Area Requirements and Recommendations
discusses the minimum requirements of planting soil
and planting area recommendations based on
landscaping availability.
General tree planting requirements (a checklist on
where to plant and where not to plant) are covered
at
The Tree Planting Checklist.
When planning to apply for grading, demolition, or
building permits, small businesses must follow the
Tree Protection Plan Requirements.
For an on the site
or grading plan checklist relating to commercial
building, you can go to the
Tree Protection Checklist-Commercial.
All of the above information can be found that the
City of Charlotte Tree Ordinance website.
Return to top of page
Benefits of Planting Trees
The obvious reasons
why trees are beneficial:
- Provide color
and are aesthetically pleasing.
- Increase
property value because of their pleasantness.
- Provide shade in
hot summer months, reducing energy needs for
cooling.
- Aid as a natural
wind breaker during winter months, also reducing
energy needs by lack of heating.
- Serve as homes
for wildlife by sheltering and feeding birds with
seeds and fruits -- Higher influx of birds means
fewer pesky mosquitoes and insects.
- Induce positive
effects on the psychological health of people...
There tends to be less crime in tree laden areas.
The not so obvious
reasons why trees are beneficial:
- They reduce
flooding by taking in water, and reduce
rainwater runoff that directly causes soil
erosion.
- They clean the
air by removing carbon dioxide, nitrogen
dioxide, particulates, and other gasses; and
give off oxygen in return.
- Trees filter
dust and noise.
- Trees intercept
rainfall and slow run-off release into surface
waters (again, relating to erosion control).
In addition, trees
can significantly benefit our environment by
lowering air temperatures. Many large cities, such
as Atlanta experience what is known as the urban
"heat island effect". This phenomenon describes a
significant temperature increase compared to
surrounding rural areas. Inner city heat-absorption
is caused by the presence of pavement and buildings.
“A National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory
Council study found that about 12% of the air
quality problems in cities can be attributed to heat
island conditions”. Shade caused by trees helps to
solve this problem by lowering temperatures, which
benefits air quality. “A Chicago study found that
120 acres of canopy cover can absorb up to 5.5
pounds of carbon monoxide, 127 ponds of sulfur
dioxide, 24 pounds of nitrogen dioxide, and 170
pounds of particulates per day.” In addition, the
study showed that trees on a 525 acre lot in Lincoln
Park had saved the equivalent of approximately
$25,000 in traditional air pollution control fees.
Source:
http://www.westgov.org/wga/initiatives/tpl/sec17.htm
Return to top of page
The Economic Impact of Trees
"The American Forestry Association estimates that
the average economic contribution of a single tree
is $73 in energy conservation, $75 for erosion
control, $75 for wildlife shelter, and $50 for air
pollution benefits. Over its lifetime, an average
tree provides more than $57,000 in environmental and
economic benefits."
“Other studies show that the carbon dioxide emitted
into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels (cars
and power plants are the worst offenders) are
absorbed by a single mature tree at the rate of 48
pounds a year. This same tree releases enough oxygen
to support two human beings."
Many other economic
benefits are discussed at
http://www.westgov.org/wga/initiatives/tpl/sec17.htm.
Return to top of page
Who can help? -- CITYgreen
CITYgreen is a Global Information System (GIS)
application that aids in land-use planning. The
CITYgreen software evaluates your specific site
conditions by computing complex statistical
analyses. The result is easy-to-understand maps and
reports that include dollar benefits based on
optimum utilization of natural surrounding
ecosystems. CITYgreen not only evaluates tree
growth, but also Stormwater Runoff, air quality,
summer energy savings, and carbon storage and
avoidance.
CITYgreen's website can be accessed at
http://www.americanforests.org/productsandpubs/citygreen/.
Return to top of page
Links: Other Resources
For more
information on tree planting consult
the following sites:
Or email:
Return to top of page
Upcoming Earth Day Events
-
Sat, Apr 15, 10:00am-4:00pm –
Earth Day Event, Charlotte Nature Museum
Earth Day event at the Charlotte Nature Museum
1658 Sterling Road Charlotte 704-372-6261
-
Wed, Apr 19, 10:00am-3:00pm –
Earth Day Event, UNC
Earth Day Event at UNC-Charlotte, University
Blvd, Charlotte
-
Thurs, Apr 20, 11:00am-2:00pm –
Bank of America Earth Day Expo
The Environmental Network will host an Earth Day
Expo at Founders Hall
-
Fri, Apr 21, 6:00pm-10:00pm and
Sat, Apr 22, 9:00am-noon – Earth Day Event at
Catawba College
Earth Day event at the Catawba College Center
for the Environment, 2300 W. Innes Street,
Salisbury
http://www.centerfortheenvironment.org/earthday06.asp
-
Sat, Apr 29, 10am-4pm – Earth
Day, Charlotte County-Wide Festival
Mecklenburg Co Air Quality will be checking for
leaky gas caps, for more information, contact
earthdaycharlotte@hotmail.com or 704-336-3631
Return to top of page
Environmental Assistance
Office (EAO) for Small Business
The Environmental Assistance Office for Small
Business provides non-regulatory,
client-confidential pollution prevention assistance
to small businesses in the greater Charlotte region.
The EAO is designed to assist regional businesses in
their efforts to voluntarily prevent pollution. The
EAO staff can provide timely assistance for
pollution prevention planning, including information
about industry-specific case studies, waste-specific
case studies, and new technologies. The office
provides links of resources to needs between the
region's business community, government,
municipality, and university. If there is a
particular issue or question you would like to see
in an upcoming edition, please send an e-mail to
EAOforSB@email.uncc.edu.
Contact Information:
Environmental Assistance Office for Small Business:
9201 University City Blvd. 258 Cameron Building, UNC
Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28233-0001
Phone number: 704-687-3968 Fax number: 704-687-3115
Email:
EAOforSB@email.uncc.edu
Services:
-
Assistance with Air Permits - Assistance for small
businesses in completing paperwork for EPA air
permits.
-
Educational Materials - Educational pamphlet,
brochures, flyers, and other materials to relate
facts on pollution prevention.
-
Educational Outreach - Develop educational outreach
campaigns and presentations for the public or
employee training.
-
University Resources - Library information, faculty
expertise, student projects and research at both
graduate and undergraduate levels.
Return to top of page
|