Urban Greening Strategy Report for the City of Bowie, Maryland

The City of Bowie, Maryland assessed how it could enhance its urban tree canopy to improve environmental outcomes and adapt to the impacts of climate change. The report describes the current conditions of the City's tree canopy, and the ecosystem service benefits provided by the existing urban forest. Strategies are identified that Bowie could implement to enhance and preserve the urban tree canopy - to maximize these ecosystem services and climate adaptation.

The current conditions of Bowie's tree canopy are based upon the age distribution, species diversity, species of concern because of vulnerability to disease or damage, invasive species, and risks from deer, invasive species, climate change, and development patterns (e.g., non-replacement of street trees, tree clearing in the electrical right of way for power line maintenance, and clearing of trees on private property). The report includes a detailed discussion of the data collection and methodology used to assess the City's current tree canopy. In terms of climate change, the report notes that climate change will cause hotter regional weather patterns and greater shifts between drought and heavy rainfall events, and that the city might need to select species with greater tolerance for shifts in hot and cold weather.

The estimated value of the City's urban tree canopy was established by estimating a dollar value on the ecosystem services provided by trees - including aesthetic value, energy, stormwater, and carbon sequestration benefits. The study estimates the lost ecosystem service values from a 14% decrease of tree canopy in the Baltimore-Washington region over 24 years in terms of stormwater management (19% more stormwater runoff costing $1 billion in additional stormwater management costs) and air pollution (9.3 million pounds of pollutants amounting to $24 million in lost services). It was determined that the replacement value of the City's street trees would be approximately $56 million, and that the trees contribute $1.8 million annually in benefits. 

The report then lays out different urban tree canopy goals that the City could feasibly adopt, including the number of trees that would need to be planted to achieve those goals and the estimated costs. For example, to increase the urban tree canopy by 20%, the city would need to increase planting citywide by 7.2% by planting 2,027 trees at an estimated cost of $405,408.

The report then lays out different approaches the City could take to meet its urban tree canopy goals, including:

  • Prioritizing neighborhoods and right of ways for tree planting efforts
  • Developing an urban forestry management plan with performance metrics and best management practices.
  • Establishing a tree protection ordinance and street tree ordinance
  • Conducting public outreach and engagement around the environmental benefits and importance of trees.
  • Incentives and grants that could be provided to promote tree planting

The report also includes tables of: (1) urban forest criteria and performance indicators (Table 3-4); and (2) a comparison of different tree protection ordinances (Table 3-5: including ordinances in other cities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed: Chevy Chase, Gaithersburg, Rockville, Somerset, Takoma Park, Baltimore County, Anne Arundel, Prince Georges County in Maryland and Washington, D.C.).

Appendices include tools and resources for assessing tree canopy, to develop strategies to protect and enhance the urban forest, and to educate the public about the value of trees. Tables also provide estimates of the average annual benefits of different tree species common to Bowie, Maryland (including estimates of energy, air quality, stormwater, aesthetic, and carbon sequestration benefits, with dollar amounts).

The report was developed by the University of Vermont Spatial Analysis Laboratory with the City of Bowie and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Publication Date: November 2011

Related Organizations:

  • University of Vermont
  • City of Bowie, Maryland

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Resource Types:

  • Policy analysis/recommendations

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