by Sophie Vaughan
As part of our ongoing coverage of Akron’s tree canopy, we reached out to the City of Akron’s Tree Commission for an update on some unknowns that have been on our radar over the last year. We received responses to some of our questions via email, courtesy of Tree Commission Chair, Sarah Vradenburg. We also interviewed City of Akron Parks Maintenance Manager and City Arborist, Jon Malish, and Director of Sustainability and Resiliency, Casey Shevlin. Over a call, they answered some questions that have been open ended since we first reached out to Malish in November of 2022. Overall, we are excited to see the changes that are likely to take place under the new administration.
Sophie Vaughan: Why was the Tree Commission unable to spend their $25,000 budget last year? What were the obstacles to spending that money?
Sarah Vradenburg: The ordinance creating the Akron Tree Commission passed in 2016 but the commission itself was not convened until December 2021. It took us time to establish our identity and role within city government. The funds were allocated but we did not have a spending plan. That money is still available, and we are now in a position to begin using it. Those plans and activities, with primary focus on public education and engagement, will be rolled out over the next several months.
Vaughan: The Tree Commission mission statement doesn’t clearly include anything about hearing appeals for tree plantings. How does this aspect of the Tree Commission work fit into the Tree Commission mission?
Vradenburg: Mission statements are, by design, worded broadly to encompass a wide range of activities. While hearing appeals for tree plantings is part of our function, it is by no means our only, or even primary, function. Mentioning it in a mission statement could unnecessarily restrict our activities.
Vaughan: What happened with the Arbor Day Celebration? After watching the last Tree Commission meeting, I noticed there was no mention of this event. Does Akron still need to hold an Arbor Day celebration to maintain status as a designated Tree City? If a celebration was held, why wasn’t it promoted?
Vradenburg: We planted an American elm on Arbor Day at Kerr Park in West Akron. All members of the Tree Commission were present including Service Department staff who actually did the planting. The ceremony included a proclamation from Mayor Shammas Malik designating April 26 as Arbor Day in Akron. In future we will reach out and involve other community organizations in this important activity.
Vaughan: Has the City of Akron adopted one of the Canopy Goal Scenarios from the 2020 State of the Canopy Report? If so, which one? If not, did the City develop a different scenario, or is something still under development?
Casey Shevlin: We’ve not formally adopted one of the four scenarios in the assessment just yet. I think we’re in the process, especially with the new administration, with me being new and…trying to understand…the status of things, we’ve been digging into the assessment report — certainly, I have — and we’re looking at tree canopy plans in other cities, reviewing best practices, talking with community members…So, we’re working on figuring out which scenario or an alternative scenario might be right and we’re trying to develop…a multifaceted…tree canopy plan…How do we cut down on tree loss? How do we take a collaborative approach with the community to tree planting, so we can be doing this together? How do we update tree canopy data, develop more transparency on that with the public, think about education, outreach, promotion of trees?…We’re trying to approach this dilemma with the tree canopy holistically…We’re trying to pull together…a layered plan and approach.”
Vaughan: Aside from pruning and general maintenance of trees on public property has the City of Akron taken any other measures to preserve the tree canopy since the 2020 State of the Canopy Report? For instance, there were some programs that were mentioned as examples in the 2020 Canopy Report, such as voluntary commitments on the part of private property owners, you know, and creating incentive programs for that. There are other cities that have established minimum tree density requirements or utilized incentives to allow property owners some flexibility. So, just curious as to whether anything like that has been considered or implemented.
Jon Malish: Within discussions with Casey [Shevlin], we are still exploring those options…whether it be developer agreements, developer requirements, minimum canopy coverage…we’re exploring those.
Vaughan: I know that…one of the things that had been mentioned is…a heritage tree program— that is also something that’s in process right now, is that right?
Malish: Correct. There’s that and the memorial tree program. Both of those have been in existence…[but] there’s not been any action taken on either of those.
Vaughan: So, is that something you’re hoping to include in the plan moving forward when you develop this tree canopy plan?
Shevlin: Yeah. So, when we say, “multi-layered approach,” we mean, multiple strategies to help …cut into…tree loss; we know the figure [is] about 6,000 trees per year…You mentioned other cities — the report, the assessment does, too — we’re looking at…other cities nationwide to think about what strategies and best practices exist that we can aggrandize to some extent. So, you know, the heritage tree program — reviving that, reviving the memorial tree program, maybe thinking about other cool education outreach programs related to trees…we’re trying to check all those boxes, and probably more, to think about a real holistic plan for this.
Vaughan: So, do you think that engaging property and business owners in those forestry efforts could potentially be a part of that plan as well? That’s something else that the report recommended as an opportunity to explore.
Shevlin: Yeah, definitely…There are so many stakeholders that need to be part of it, and they’re a key one. There’s probably no way to tackle tree canopy without engaging them. So yeah, we’re exploring possibilities there for sure.
Vaughan: And I’m sorry to be clear, I said “property and business owners,” but what I meant by that was commercial and industrial property and business owners…I wasn’t super clear…I just wanted to clarify that. Do you hope to do the same…[with] commercial and industrial property owners as well?
Shevlin: Yes, all of the above. They’ll be key stakeholders in this, too.
Vaughan: [The] next question that I had about the tree inventory — I think [that] since I wrote that question, that [inventory] does now exist on the web. Is that correct, Jon? I believe I saw that there is now a tree inventory that is accessible by the public on the City of Akron website under tree commission or public service. Is that correct?
Malish: Yes, that’s accessible there.
Note: While this information was accessible on the City of Akron’s website before they updated the website, this information does not seem to be accessible on the new website.
Vaughan: Okay. And that’s something that’s in the process of being updated? Or is that current?
Malish: It’s an always an ongoing update. Trying to keep up-to-date with 55,000 street trees — as they get removed, as they get added — it is an ongoing thing.
Vaughan: And is that currently limited to street trees, or have city facilities and parks started to become a part of that inventory? Or is that a future plan?
Malish: I’d say about 60 to 70 percent of the parks have been inventoried and updated in there. But I do know we’re missing some still.
Vaughan: I know there was talk of possibly getting grant funding for [something similar to] a Google car, if you will, that drives around and can help take that inventory. Is that something…that’s potentially going to happen? Are you still waiting on an answer for that?
Malish: So, that was part of the [Inflation Reduction Act] funding, and we did not receive that. I did meet with [Ohio Department of Natural Resources], who was the facilitator of that grant. We scored very high, [but] we had already received federal funding through that same pot of money…So, they were looking at spreading it out to other communities that did not receive it at the federal level, but that would end up receiving it at the state level. There will be additional rounds to come out, but we are still actively seeking…one way or another, I’ll get this thing done.
Vaughan: Do you have a sense of what impact new housing developments like the White Pond development and the Residences at Good Park in West Akron have on Akron’s tree canopy? How did those developments affect the tree planting plan from 2016 and the City of Akron’s overall canopy goals? What is the City doing to offset any losses that are created by those developments?
Shevlin: I’m not sure…Jon, do we know? We know we’re losing approximately 6,000 trees per year, in terms of loss. I don’t know that we know more granular information in terms of the percentage that’s attributable to what cause. Am I correct with that?
Malish: That’s correct.
Shevlin: Yeah. So, I don’t know that we have more granular information than that, Sophie. It’s interesting — I was just looking at Charlotte…They’re working on a lot of tree canopy stuff at the moment, and they have some good information out about their efforts, and I was really surprised. They had said that they think most of their canopy loss comes from individual trees on private property, and I found that sort of surprising. So, it made me a little bit curious about the percentages with our tree loss, but I don’t think we have that, in terms of data. So I wouldn’t want to guess what the sources of ours are. We know development; we know CSO work; we know storms, disease, pests…[it] runs the gamut in terms of sources, but I wouldn’t want to attribute any percentage to those, because it would be guesswork.
Malish: Right, and really, the only way to know that, specifically, would be to have a canopy study performed annually, and that’s just not a feasible task.
Vaughan: Okay, and so, when housing developments such as those are approved…is the potential tree canopy loss — or, I guess, the assured tree canopy loss — that would be a part of that [development] considered at all in approval of developments like those? And do you think there’s any path forward…to make that a part of the consideration for anyone who wants to develop residential developments in Akron?
Shevlin: Yeah, of course, that’s an option. That’s one of the aspects of the plan. One of the hopeful solutions that we’re thinking through is protection rules and guidelines for development. So, you know, definitely that’s something that we’re looking at, moving forward…I don’t think there is one on the books right now…so, that’s something we need to look at developing.
Vaughan: For private organizations that want to have an impact on the tree canopy, where would be the best place to prioritize funding, to make the most positive impact in the maintenance and growth of the tree canopy? For instance, would it be most beneficial to put that money toward training youth in the field of tree maintenance…and horticulture, or to directly fund tree maintenance and planting for low income private landowners who maybe can’t afford to take care of their trees, or perhaps to pay for public outreach and education on the subject of the value of individual trees and the tree canopy as a whole?
Shevlin: I would encourage them to come to us, so that as a city, we can all be rowing in the same direction. I almost don’t want to choose one, because we’re hoping to tackle all of the things that you’ve listed. We’ll need private organizations, all kinds of stakeholders working together at the table to coordinate those efforts. So, we need to get aligned in Akron on a city-wide approach to this — core objectives, core goals, core priorities for trees — and then we can coordinate how to make sure that…all of us stakeholders — whether it’s NGOs, individual residents, private sector companies — that we’re doing complementary work towards the same goal and driving the biggest collective impact. So, I wouldn’t want to direct everyone to take one singular action, because every stakeholder and organization can probably bring something a little different to the table. And that’s good, because there are different actions that need to happen, and we need people helping in different ways…We need a coordinated, collaborative approach that helps us to tackle all the issues and drive a big collective impact.