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Trees for the Bay

Trees for the Bay. Potomac Watershed Roundtable October 7, 2011 Jim McGlone Urban Forest Conservationist. Trees and stormwater. Stormwater. Stormwater. Deciduous forest intercepts 13% of rain annually Evergreen 21%. Leaf Area Index.

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Trees for the Bay

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  1. Trees for the Bay Potomac Watershed Roundtable October 7, 2011 Jim McGlone Urban Forest Conservationist

  2. Trees and stormwater

  3. Stormwater

  4. Stormwater Deciduous forest intercepts 13% of rain annually Evergreen 21%

  5. Leaf Area Index • Measure of square meters of leaf area over a square meter of ground – m2/m2 • For a healthy, vertically diverse forest LAI is 6-7 • Most urban/suburban forests are missing shrub layer and have an LAI of 4-5 • 148,260 gallons of stormwater per acre per year are intercepted • 49,420 gallons of stormwater management lost per acre to deer browse

  6. Riparian buffers

  7. Buffer Benefits • Biological energy • Shade • Cooling • Dissolved oxygen • Infiltrate upland storm flows • Filter pollutants from uplands • In-stream habitat • Cover • Pools

  8. Buffer Benefits • Biological energy • Shade • Cooling • Dissolved oxygen • Infiltrate upland storm flows • Filter pollutants from uplands • In-stream habitat • Cover • Pools

  9. Trees, air and water

  10. Air Pollution to Water Pollution • Deposition of air pollutants – N, Hg, SOx, NOx, etc. - on land, then rain washes air deposited pollutants into surface waters • Rain drops intercept and wash pollutants out of air • Air pollutants directly deposited into water • Reducing air pollution can help reduce water pollution

  11. Direct Absorption SOx, NOx, Ozone

  12. Air Pollution Damage to Trees

  13. Shade and Energy • Summer – Deciduous trees on the south and west of buildings can reduce cooling costs by >10%, and allow winter warming. • Winter – trees on north can break winter winds and reduce heating costs by >5%

  14. Transpiration and Heat Island Transpiration can reduce heat island effect and ambient temperatures. This means lower cooling costs

  15. This Landscape Uses no Lawn Mowers

  16. Trees and streams

  17. Sediment Load Sediment Quantity × Sediment Size ~ Stream Velocity × Discharge

  18. Buffer Benefits • Biological energy • Shade • Cooling • Dissolved oxygen • Infiltrate upland storm flows • Filter pollutants from uplands • In-stream habitat • Cover • Pools

  19. Biological Energy

  20. Nutrient Processing Bacterial Activity that requires biological energy

  21. Nutrient Processing

  22. Effects of Sedimentation Lose Benthic Invertebrate Habitat Leaf Matter that Provides Biological Energy for Microbes

  23. Chesapeake Bay • Increased discharge is directly responsible for sediment loading - #1 bay pollutant • Increased discharge lowers in-stream nutrient processing, but is not only contributor to nutrient loading - #2 bay pollutant

  24. Some Tree Benefits • Health • Fitness • Asthma • Psychological • Healing • Stress Reduction • Reduced domestic conflict • Less school aggression • Improved attention • Direct Attention Fatigue • Reduced HDAD • Aesthetic • Bio-affinity • Spiritual • Economic • Shopping • Energy reduction • Property values • New business • Absenteeism • Job satisfaction • Crime reduction • Traffic • Clear zone • Calming • Asphalt • Environmental services • Stormwater • Air quality • Carbon • Habitat

  25. Engineered Stormwater Management Can’t do This http://www.sierraclub.org/sprawl/community/transformations/index.asp

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