Take Root
In the fall of 2007, members of Leadership Chattanooga partnered with the city’s Urban Forester and the Chattanooga Tree Commission, looking for ways to make an impact on Chattanooga’s urban environmental health. Together, they poured over studies, consulted their neighbors and surveyed Chattanooga’s existing tree population, particularly small in the urban core.
Designated as the “Take Root Zone,” this urban core became a canvas for an ambitious project. Launched in March of 2008 with one goal—to double the percentage of tree canopy cover in the urban core—Take Root set out to honor a city with much to celebrate. Take Root plants trees, for Chattanoogans, in Chattanooga.
Over the course of three years, Take Root committed to plant more than 1500 trees. Chattanooga’s Urban Forestry Department has identified the planting sites for these trees, and to date, Take Root has planted over 600 trees in downtown Chattanooga. Generous support from residents, foundations and local businesses has made the expansion of Chattanooga’s urban forest possible. The movement to make Chattanooga a greener city continues through their help.
Benefits
The benefits of urban tree planting are countless, and the economic implications real. At the time of Take Root’s launch, the urban tree population was already pulling its own weight, providing approximately $2.7 million-worth of natural stormwater management. Additionally, energy savings in this area equaled approximately $1.1 million, including savings realized from the reduction of urban heat islands, which can raise the temperature anywhere from five to seven degrees. Carbon sequestration worth $310,000, and improvements in air quality worth $277,000 made Take Root’s mission all the more valuable to Chattanooga.
With the city’s environmental health on the up and up, Chattanoogans will also feel the less tangible, but equally important, benefits of a more dense tree population. Healthy trees are a constant reminder that our communities are worth nurturing and our public spaces worth celebrating. And if beauty and civic pride are indeed quantifiable, it’s important to note that already, the urban forest contributes around $3.9 million to the local economy, largely through increased property values. Through Take Root, this amount would only increase.
An investment in the urban forest comes with guaranteed returns, and is an investment in your community and its future. To get involved with Take Root, visit the “Donation” page. Support your neighborhoods and the wellbeing of fellow residents with a gift to Take Root, or donate your time to urban tree planting by visiting the “Contact” page.