Bowie, Maryland's Urban Greening Strategy: A Case Study by Tracey Cohen, Applied Ecological Services and Barb Neal, Green Legacy Tree Consultants
Green Legacy Tree Consultants to craft an urban greening strategy to inform the City's policies on preserving and expanding its Urban Tree Canopy (UTC). The key task was to set a new UTC goal that was both data-driven and research-derived. Setting a new UTC goal seemed like a rather straightforward exercise. However, the deeper AES delved into the project, the more it became apparent that it was decidedly not so simple.
In 2011, the City of Bowie, Maryland, retained Applied Ecological Services (AES) and
Our analysis began with data from a study by the University of Vermont (UVM) Spatial Analysis Laboratory, based on 2007 high resolution
aerial imagery, which showed that the City had an existing UTC of 46%. The first question we asked was, "What is the primary goal of the urban greening strategy?" Depending on the answer—e.g., increase ecosystem services, improve stream and watershed health, improve air quality, or raise property values—the level of tree planting as well as the location of the new trees will vary. For example, a wider stream buf- fer will aid in stream health, whereas an inten- sive effort towards street tree planting will cre- ate shady lanes and higher property values. For the City of Bowie, watershed health and other environmental benefits were the primary drivers for increasing UTC.
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City Trees
