Last week’s guest column by Forterra staff members Norah Kates and Carrie Hawthorne was truly appropriate as we celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day. The observation that “a nearby park is an oasis of calm and a place to recharge”….perhaps “the only place where many urban dwellers connect with the natural world” is particularly on point. The column further stated that “More and more studies emphasize the importance of nature to peoples’ health and well-being. Just being outside under tree cover has proven to reduce stress and improve creativity, memory and cognitive function. As our cities rapidly grow, our few natural refuges are all the more critical.” We at Sustainable Redmond could not agree more and have testified to this effect since November 2011 when 100 percent of the trees at Overlake’s Group Health campus were approved for removal during redevelopment of the site.
In the context of Redmond’s Climate Action Plan, a very informative report was presented to our City Council on April 14. It outlined the extent of Redmond’s tree canopy, ways that it can be measured, tree-protection regulations and the role of Green Redmond in restoring and preserving our natural resources. Two years earlier (April 2, 2013), Sustainable Redmond delivered to the council a very detailed examination of tree retention data that suggested city staff waivers of tree-protection provisions contained in planning documents and code provisions were granted routinely. This intern-based research project supported our futile recommendations to amend and strengthen those documents and strongly advocated use of tree canopy metrics as a critical indicator tracking natural resource trends and the environmental services trees provide to our community.
On the occasion of Earth and Arbor days, it is gratifying to see the city’s use of new LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology to quantify Redmond’s touted green reputation and standing as a Tree City. Although we may have some quibbles with specific pieces of the tree canopy data, such as lumping the Watershed Preserve and Farrel-McWhirter Park into “urban forest” calculations with attendant skewing of figures, we welcome the new visibility brought to this issue and hope that tree canopy will finally be incorporated into Redmond’s Community Indicators as relevant “dashboard” information.
The broader community has several chances to make a difference in our parks or urban forest over the next month. Green Redmond has two volunteer parties scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon tomorrow at both Westside Park and Meadow Park. All are welcome to pitch in. Further, as the Parks, Arts, Recreation, Culture and Conservation (PARCC) Plan is updated through three open houses in May, these are chances for the public to make known their natural resource values in general and tree retention strategies in particular. Citizen surveys, budget polling and the possible levy all place a high priority on our urban forests and parks; a cause that Sustainable Redmond has advocated since its inception. We believe that our residents and employees will reinforce tree-protection priorities whenever opportunities are presented as we work together to keep Redmond green.
Tom Hinman, Sustainable Redmond
