Madison Needs to Recognize that Trees ARE City Infrastructure

 There is a certain level of derision from some (not all) City leaders in their reaction to Madison residents who tout the importance of trees. I hear it from other Common Council members, City committee members, and some City staff. The Complete Green Streets Policies and Guide adopted by the City mentions the importance of a healthy tree canopy. However, the “people first” branding of the City’s Complete Green Streets policies, when put into action, often shoves to the side the importance of the natural environment, rather than acknowledge that protecting and enhancing the green environment IS putting people first.

Large tree canopies are a critical aspect of wellbeing for all of us. I woke up this morning to this article in the New York Times.  (I "gifted" the article as a subscriber myself, but let me know if you can't access it). “How to Cool Down a City” is based on Singapore’s concerted efforts to build and rebuild with a focus on trees as part of the infrastructure. We, as a City, need to start following this path with much more intentionality. Safety and accessibility do not have to compete with reducing the heat island effect and helping to keep our City as cool as possible. We can do both. It may cost a little more, involve a bit more creativity, and require making adjustments to one-size-fits-all plans, but it is a false choice to pit people against the environment.

Our City gets high ratings for the number of trees we plant each year, and I happen to think that our new City Forester is a forward-thinking professional who truly grasps how essential our urban tree canopies are to our health and wellbeing. However, our City also takes down a lot of trees each year, and net-net, I’m not sure where we stand. What I do know is that we can do much better. Large trees provide shade that cools pavement and soak up rainwater that is released as cooling vapor. Mature trees can’t simply be replaced with trees that take decades to have the same cooling effect on the City. We don’t have that kind of time.