
WILMINGTON — The City of Wilmington is one of two cities in the state selected by the North Carolina Forest Service to participate in a federal study to analyze trees in urban environments. The city will hold a public input meeting Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., at City Hall, to hear the opinions and concerns of residents.
The public input session will ask residents to voice their opinions on protecting, restoring and increasing Wilmington’s tree canopy. The meeting is hosted by city staff, as well as the city’s volunteer citizen-based Tree Commission, Communications Manager Malissa Talbert said.
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Virginia-based Green Infrastructure Center will give the majority of the presentation and will provide information regarding the status of trees in Wilmington.
Currently, the city does not have information on its current inventory of trees, but attendees of the meeting can expect to receive this kind of information during the presentation, Talbert said.
“At the meeting, the city will provide an overview of the grant project and get input from citizens on (and) perception of current city tree coverage, specific locations in Wilmington that need more trees, tree-related practices led by citizens or local government that could be implemented but are not currently in place,” according to an email from the city.
Trees in urban environments can help prevent erosion and help cool the city, especially in locations with lots of asphalt, according to the email.
According to the city, “A typical street tree can intercept an estimated 760 – 4,000 gallons of rainwater per tree per year, depending on the species.”
The project will help Wilmington take stock of current tree populations and prepare for the future of trees in the urban environment.
“At the completion of the project, Wilmington hopes to map, evaluate, protect, and increase its urban forest,” according to the city’s email.
Michael Praats can be contacted at michael.p@localvoicemedia.com