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Residents and Sierra Club urge council to adopt stronger tree protections in Unified Development Code
Summary
Several residents and local environmental groups urged the Greenville City Council during the public-comment period to adopt the draft Unified Development Code (UDO) provisions that protect trees and prioritize overstory canopy, citing environmental, health and economic research.
Several Greenville residents and environmental advocates used the public comment period at the Sept. 8 City Council meeting to press the council to adopt stronger tree protections in the city's forthcoming Unified Development Code (UDO).
Speakers included Marion Swinker, a retired physician and Sierra Club member; Lisa Mag, a member of the Sierra Club; Amanda Muir, a board member of Friends of Greenville Greenways; and Jeff Monaco, chair of the Cypress Group of the North Carolina Sierra Club. Each urged the council to support the portions of the draft UDO that address trees and vegetation, and several cited peer-reviewed studies and municipal analyses on trees'environmental, economic and health benefits.
Why it matters: speakers said preserving and incentivizing retention of mature overstory trees improves neighborhood cooling, reduces utility costs, intercepts stormwater runoff, increases property values and contributes to mental and physical health. They urged the council to review Section 5 of the draft UDO closely; several speakers said that section addresses tree retention, replacement requirements and incentives for developers.
What speakers told the council: Marion Swinker summarized research showing links between tree canopy and property values, energy savings and neighborhood benefits, saying one study she cited found that property values fell in proportion to trees lost after an insect infestation in Toronto. She also cited studies showing energy savings from shade and windbreak effects.
Lisa Mag described public-health and social benefits linked to tree canopy, referencing studies from Portland, Oregon; California; London; Wisconsin and Baltimore that the speaker said showed associations between higher tree cover and lower mortality, improved mental health outcomes and reduced violent crime in some analyses.
Amanda Muir urged the council to mandate tree replacements, consider hiring an urban-forestry professional and include developer incentives in the UDO. Jeff Monaco emphasized the value of overstory trees (large native oaks, maples and sycamores) over smaller ornamental species when the goal is cooling, stormwater mitigation and wildlife habitat.
Council response and next steps: the mayor asked the speakers to email the references and data cited; council members thanked speakers and recognized Section 5 of the draft UDO as an item the council will consider when the UDO returns to the agenda. The speakers'requests were public comment; no council action was taken that evening on the UDO.
Closing note: multiple speakers asked the council to prioritize tree retention and the planting of overstory species in new developments to secure long-term environmental, economic and health benefits for Greenville neighborhoods.
