presented by David Bloniarz, USDA Forest Service and UMass.
Remote Seminar 1/11/2023
All interested Town residents are welcome to register for an online seminar this Wednesday, January 11th, 7pm-830pm: “Beyond Beauty: Establishing the Value of Urban and Suburban Trees,” presented by David Bloniarz, USDA Forest Service and UMass.
For event registration and more information, please visit https://community.massenergize.org/Lexington/events/780.
Most are aware that trees provide beauty and a boost to real estate values in the built-up world, and that shade trees mitigate the heat sink of sunshine on brick, concrete, and asphalt. Trees and forests do much more. As stated by the US Forestry Service, “[t]he trees around you
–remove hazardous pollutants from the air you breathe,
–absorb carbon dioxide from the air to store as wood,
–and control stormwater by intercepting and absorbing rainfall.” [i]
The presentation is sponsored by Energize Lexington, whose mission is “[t]aking on the climate challenge, one Lexington household at a time.[ii]” Dr. Bloniarz will discuss scientific methods to determine the benefits of urban and suburban trees, including monetary values for the environmental work performed by trees.
The presentation includes a demonstration of iTree, the US Forestry’s flagship suite of online tools, which “delivers current, peer-reviewed tree benefits estimation science from the USDA Forest Service to all types of users with free tools and support.” [iii]
I look forward to packing the (virtual) house with neighbors.
In fair notice, I serve on Bedford Arbor Resources Committee (BARC). For more information about BARC, please visit the Town website: https://www.bedfordma.gov/443/Arbor-Resources-Committee
[i] https://www.itreetools.org/