The city council will discuss Martinsville’s efforts to increase the tree population at its meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday at city hall.
The council will hear from Kendall Topping and Jessica Huang, researchers from environmental advocacy group Green Infrastructure. Since last year, Green Infrastructure has worked with city officials to promote Martinsville’s existing greenery and encourage new growth.
The partnership between the city and Green Infrastructure is known as the Martinsville Community Forest Revitalization Program. The program is in its second year.
The city’s tree board has partnered with Green Infrastructure to advocate for new growth and study the state of Martinsville’s greenery. This study will culminate in a strategic tree canopy plan, which will “guide planting in priority areas, control invasive species, expand public education, and build city capacity for urban forest management,” according to information from the city.
The plan will guide Martinsville toward the ultimate goal of increasing tree coverage by 1% over the next 10 years, which tree board members said will take a community-wide effort. To encourage resident participation, the board has given away plantable trees to dozens of residents.
“Since its launch, the program has hosted workshops, a 60-tree giveaway, and community events that gathered nearly 100 public comments,” reads information from the city.
Martinsville’s current tree coverage of 55% earned it the Tree City USA recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation. Communities with the Tree City USA designation are marked for taking steps to take care of their tree populations.
Nearby Roanoke and Danville have tree cover rates of 33% and 50%, respectively.
The program is meant to address concerns of increasing heat, which is projected to get worse in the coming decades.
“The program addresses heat reduction, stormwater management, economic vitality, and public health benefits, with extreme heat days projected to rise sharply by 2070,” reads information provided by the city.
Tree board officials have said trees are an effective counter to the issue of urban heat islands, parts of cities that are hotter than others due to the prevalence of concrete and lack of greenery. In a recent report by Cardinal News, Martinsville was among a handful of cities that showed increased temperatures in heavily concreted areas relative to areas with trees.
The full meeting agenda is available online.
