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Commenters urge city and ODOT to protect Cleveland’s mature tree canopy
Summary
Public commenters called on Cleveland leaders and the Ohio Department of Transportation to stop recent highway tree removals and to prioritize care for mature trees that provide lasting environmental benefits.
A public commenter told Cleveland City Council on May 19 that recent Ohio Department of Transportation activity has removed mature trees along Cleveland highways and urged the city and ODOT to protect the urban canopy. “Cleveland must do better in protecting its mature trees and ensuring new plantings thrive,” Juan Collado Diaz said during the public-comment period.
Collado Diaz noted mature trees provide shade, cleaner air and climate benefits that are not immediately replaced by new plantings. He recommended the city work with existing community tree groups—including the Westpark tree group and the Old Brooklyn Community Development tree stewards—to protect and maintain mature trees and urged residents to contact ODOT about removals along highways.
The speaker described recent deforestation along city highways over the past two to three months and cautioned that young trees take decades to provide equivalent benefits to mature specimens. No city staff responded at the meeting, and no formal action to coordinate with ODOT or the city’s urban forestry programs was recorded during the session.
