I just got an email from an Australian working for the Provincial Government in Madang, a fellow Chamber of Commerce member updating me on the last meeting I missed. It seems like the spirit of Greenpeace’s Esperanza missed our Urban LLG.
The Provincial Government, Madang Urban and the Works department are preparing to fell over 300 trees in Modilon Road. The reason appears to be to demonstrate their determination to build a new four-lane motorway from Baidal Road to the port wharf.
Having felled the trees it will then be easier to survey and measure the land available for a new road after which a design can be prepared, to be followed by a bid to the government for funds to build the highway.
I am concerned at the adverse environmental impact the felling will have on the character of the town as experienced by visitors and the lack of shade for pedestrians. No work at present has been undertaken to assess how much traffic needs to be catered for given the new bridge link from Nambasa Road to the Airport and the North Coast Road, the forecast relocation of png port to Vidar and any proposals arising from the developing Urban Plan.
I see the work as a case of putting the cart before the horse, the present road if properly repaired and surfaced and with adequate pmv lay-bys is well capable of handling the present traffic
As a visitor working in this Country I accept that if the residents of the town really want to see all these trees felled with no clear proposals for the future that is their choice, I can say goodbye to Madang and go home. A few people appear concerned but have no influence.
How do you feel and have you any suggestions ?
How about an Ecology 101 course for the Provincial Government, Madang Urban LLG and the Works Department?
I have a cheat sheet for them:
HOW TREES IMPROVE THE ENVIRONMENT
Air Quality/Pollution Reduction
• Trees help to clean the air by “catching” airborne pollutants such as ozone, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxides, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and small particulates less than 10 microns in size.3
• Planting trees remains one of the cheapest, most effective means of drawing excess CO2 from the
atmosphere.15
• There is up to a 60% reduction in street level particulates with trees.1
• One tree that shades your home in the city will also save fossil fuel, cutting CO2 buildup as much as 15
forest trees.16
• Each year an average acre of mature trees absorb up to 26 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air, which is equal to the amount of Co2 produced by driving a car 26,000 miles.8
Water Quality/Erosion
• Trees reduce topsoil erosion, prevent harmful land pollutants contained in the soil from getting into our waterways, slow down water run-off, and ensure that our groundwater supplies are continually being replenished. For every 5% of tree cover added to a community, storm water runoff is reduced by
approximately 2%.1
• Trees help communities across the country avoid millions of dollars in storm water management costs.18
• Trees reduce soil erosion when planted along streams and waterways.18
• Trees can intercept between 7 percent and 22 percent of storm water runoff from impermeable surfaces.17
Energy Savings
• Homeowners that properly place trees in their landscape can realize savings up to 58% on daytime air
conditioning and as high as 65% for mobile homes. If applied nationwide to buildings not now benefiting
from trees, the shade could reduce our nation’s consumption of oil by 500,000 barrels of oil/day.12
• Projections suggest that 100 million additional mature trees in US cities (3 trees for every unshaded single family home) could save over $2 billion in energy costs per year.10
A CANOPY FOR COMMUNITY AND SOCIETAL WELL-BEING
Trees Reduce Crime, Increase Public Safety and Build Community
• A University of Illinois study finds that trees in urban areas are directly correlated with lower levels of fear, fewer incivilities, and less violent and aggressive behavior.4
• In an inner-city neighborhood, the greener the residence, the lower the crime rate. Residents reported fewer violent crimes and property crimes in green neighborhoods as compared to those that were barrern.4
• Researchers found fewer reports of physical violence in homes that had treesoutside the buildings. Of the residents interviewed, 14% of residents living in barren conditions have threatened to use a knife or gun against their children versus 3% for the residents living in green conditions.15
The Healing Power of Trees
• School children with ADHD show fewer symptoms and girls show more academic self-discipline if they
have access to natural settings.19
• Researchers found fewer reports of physical violence in homes that had trees outside the buildings. Of the residents interviewed, 14% of residents living in barren conditions have threatened to use a knife or gun against their children versus 3% for the residents living in green conditions.15
• Studies have shown that hospital patients with a view of trees out their windows recover much faster and with fewer complications and require fewer pain-killing medications than similar patients without such views.13
• A Texas A & M study indicates that trees help create relaxation and well being.18
• A U.S. Department of Energy study reports that trees reduce noise pollution by acting as a buffer and
absorbing 50% of urban noise.18
• Reduced air pollution from the presence of trees helps to ameliorate respiratory problems, such as
asthma—the leading serious chronic illness among children.17
• Trees can provide protection against skin cancer by reducing UV-B exposure (the most damaging type of solar radiation) by about half, according to a study by Richard Grant, Purdue University; and Gordon
Heisler, USDA Forest Service.17
• Time spent in nature reduces mental fatigue, restoring the ability to concentrate and pay attention.4
• Exposure to even small amounts of trees and grass aids concentration, leading to greater effectiveness.4
MONEY GROWS ON TREES
• Large, mature street trees are found to be the most important indicator of attractiveness in a community.17
• Property values increase 5-15% when compared to properties without trees (depends on species, maturity, quantity and location)18
• Shoppers are willing to pay up to 11 percent more for products purchased in shops along tree-lined streets than they would pay for the same item in a barren setting.17
• The quality of products were perceived as being better in shopping districts having trees versus those with barren sidewalks.17
• Shoppers stay longer in plazas that have trees.17
• Appraised property values of homes that are adjacent to parks and open spaces are typically 8-20% higher than those of comparable properties elsewhere.17
• Strategically placed trees can cut summer air conditioning costs for businesses by as much as 50 percent or more.17
• Rental rates of commercial office properties were approximately 7% higher on sites having quality
landscape, including trees.17
• Office workers with a view of nature are more productive, report fewer illnesses, and have higher job
satisfaction.17
• Trees have the potential to reduce social service budgets, decrease police calls for domestic violence, strengthen urban communities, and decrease the incidence of child abuse according to the study. Chicago officials heard that message in 2005. The city government spent $10 million to plant 20,000
trees, a decision influenced by Kuo’s and Sullivan’s research, according to the Chicago Tribune.
• Researcher Kuo suggests that “cities would do well having nature outside every doorstep.”4
References
1. Coder, Dr. Kim D., “Identified Benefits of Community Trees and Forests", University of Georgia, October, 1996.
2. USDA Forest Service Pamphlet #R1-92-100
3. International Society of Arboriculture Tree Care Bulletin, Benefits of Trees
4. Kuo, F.E. 2001, “Environment and Crime in the Inner City: Does Vegetation Reduce Crime?” Environment and Behavior, Volume 33, Number), pp
343-367.---www.herluiuc.edu
5. Kuo, F.E., 1998 Fertile Ground for Community: Inner-City Neighborhood Common Spaces. American Journal of Community Psychology, 26 www.herluiuc.edu
6. Georgia Urban Forest Council; University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign; www.cucf.com
7. Kuo , F.E. 2003. The role of arboriculture in healthy social ecology. Journal of Arboriculture, 29, 3, 148-155
8. Nowak, David J., “Benefits of Community Trees”, (Brooklyn Trees, USDA Forest Service General Technical Report, in review)
9. Galveston-Houston Association for Smog Prevention (GHASP), “Trees and Our Air”, January, 1999.
10. McAliney, Mike. Arguments for Land Conservation: Documentation and Information Sources for Land Resources Protection, Trust for Public Land,
Sacramento, CA, December, 1993
11. Michigan State University Extension, Urban Forestry #07269501, “Benefits of Urban Trees”
12. American Forests, “The Case for Greener Cities”, Autumn 1999.
13. American Forests, “How Trees Fight Climate Change”, 1999.
14. Crompton, J.L. 2001. Parks and Economic Development. Chicago, IL. American Planning Association
15. Prow, Tina., “The Power of Trees”, Human Environmental Research Laboratory at University of Illinois.
16. National Arbor Day Foundation pamphlet #90980005
17. Georgia Urban Forestry Publication, Shade-Healthy Trees, Healthy Cities, Healthy People, 2004
18. www.colorado trees.org, Benefits of Trees
19. Coping with ADD: The Surprising Connection to Green Play Settings, Environment and Behavior. Vol. 33 No. 1. January 2001. 54-77, 2001 Sage Publications, Inc. 445 N. Pennsylvania Street, Suite 910 * Indianapolis, IN 46204 P: 317-264-7555 * F: 317-264-7565
Alternatively, I propose a Chipko Movement for Madang. The Chipko movement practised the Gandhian methods of satyagraha and non-violent resistance, through the act of hugging trees to protect them from being felled. The landmark event in this struggle took place on March 26, 1974, when a group of peasant women in Reni village, Hemwalghati, in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, India, acted to prevent the cutting of trees and reclaim their traditional forest rights that were threatened by the contractor system of the state Forest Department.
If it can save Indian trees, it can save the glorious rain trees of Madang.
Great article on how to take care of trees and more input on the great benefits of trees in our society.
Posted by: tree removal long island | February 15, 2012 at 06:38 PM