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Several state and federal grants destined to improve Lexington’s green infrastructure have been awarded in the past couple of years.
According to Director of Public Works Patrick Madigan, these grants are crucial because they “build some float” in the public works budget and allow the city to use their horticulture and tree dollars to best advantage.
One recent grant from the state’s Trees for Clean Water initiative enabled the planting of 28 trees along Woods Creek. The final 10 of these were planted last week for Arbor Day.
“We want to continue being a tree city and will use every opportunity to set the example, be good stewards, and enhance and add to our tree canopy,” Madigan said.
A state Department of Forestry grant was used to remove and replace a number of local ash trees affected by emerald ash borer, an Asian beetle that, according to the Virginia Dept. of Forestry, is “the most destructive forest insect ever to invade the United States.” The grant helped with the cost of removing the damaged ashes and replacing them with resilient species including white oak, Princeton elms, maples, and other large canopy trees under the guidance of city arborist Celia Raney.
A grant from Trees Virginia, Virginia’s Urban Forest Council, a nonprofit organization that “works to promote an awareness of our community forests and the value of trees,” served to pay for an interactive aerial map of Lexington, focusing on tree density in the city. The study showed that over 10% of the canopy had been lost since the last tree survey, which dated from 2009. Raney said that the decrease was due to many factors, including the 2012 derecho, pests and diseases, and large tree removal without sufficient replacement.
“We want to plant more trees to offset climate change, improve storm water management capacities, and keep the city cooler,” Raney explained. “Shade trees can reduce ambient temperatures by 5 to 8 degrees and they lower cooling costs.” Raney said that small and mediumsized canopy trees are helpful when there isn’t much space, but larger ones have many additional benefits.
The map also shows which neighborhoods would benefit most from additional tree coverage. Raney and the Lexington Tree Board have identified Diamond Hill as one section of the city that has lost a good deal of canopy coverage since the last survey, and are exploring tree repopulation project ideas.
The goal, Raney said, is to apply for at least one grant per year. She credits former city arborist Betty Besal, currently chair of the Tree Board, with helping her through the application process.
“With her experience, she’s been vital in guiding me and helping me learn,” said Raney. “All three of the grants we applied for were rewarded, and we’re still waiting to hear about a fourth, the Chesapeake Bay Trust Green Streets grant.”
That grant would give public works $30,000 for an improved, engineered design of the White Street rain garden.
According to Raney, “This is important because of climate change, the potential for flooding events, and the need to increase the city’s capacity to manage storm water when the rains hit.” The retention system, if implemented, is projected to double the size of the current system.
