Our Crowning Jewel: The Riverside-Avondale tree canopy provides more than shade
In addition to our beautiful homes, merchant districts, walkability, park spaces and historic architecture, the tree canopy of Riverside-Avondale has great appeal. It is a crown jewel that contributes to our community’s aesthetic appeal, resiliency, storm water uptake, heat mitigation and real estate value. Residents and visitors alike are immediately attracted to this neighborhood simply because of the urban forest.
We are fortunate that early developers and homeowners saw the value of planting trees as we now enjoy the mature tree canopy, which, depending on the species, may take from 20 to more than 100 years to grow to a size that contributes in a meaningful way to our tree canopy. In 2019-20, Riverside Avondale Preservation led an effort with the city, tapping into the Tree Mitigation Fund. This community-based Re-Leaf Project resulted in the planting of nearly 400 trees in right-of-way areas, valued at $780,000. This was an important step to replace those trees starting to ‘age out’ in our neighborhood.
A Canopy of Good Health
Our urban forest is a major green infrastructure asset that contributes greatly to the health of the air we breathe. Toxic air pollutants such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, ground-level ozone, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter can cause adverse effects to human health, disrupt ecosystem processes, and reduce visibility in cities. Tree leaves remove these air pollutants by directly absorbing them or indirectly capturing them on their surfaces. Altogether, the trees in Florida’s regions remove over 600,000 tons of combined air pollution each year, saving Florida residents an estimated $605 million in annual air-pollution-related health care costs.
Rooted in Water Absorption
Living in Riverside-Avondale, we are quite familiar with storm water and flooding resulting from extreme precipitation events and tidal effects. Impervious surfaces, such as roads, parking lots and rooftops, do not allow stormwater runoff to infiltrate into the soil. Instead, they swiftly direct large volumes of water into nearby stormwater drains that typically discharge into the St. Johns River and its estuaries. As water flows over impervious surfaces, it can pick up many different pollutants – antifreeze, grease, pesticides, bacteria and fertilizer – becoming a significant source of pollution to local waterbodies.
Luckily, our mature trees serve to take up this water rather quickly after these events. Trees help combat the negative effects of stormwater runoff by capturing rainfall on their leaves and bark, thereby reducing the amount of water hitting impervious surfaces. In addition, tree roots and old fallen leaves can promote soil conditions that allow more water to enter the soil during a rain event and be absorbed by the tree’s root system. Collectively, the urban forests in Florida intercept an estimated 50 billion gallons of water a year, resulting in savings of over $451 million in avoided annual stormwater treatment costs, as reported by the University of Florida.
Keeping it Cool
According to the National Weather Service and the Center for Disease Control, heat is the biggest weather-related killer. Adam Rosenblatt, a biology professor at the University of North Florida, led an urban heat study last summer in conjunction with the City of Jacksonville and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He said Riverside-Avondale has much lower heat index values than its neighboring downtown and eastside communities, and one of the big drivers of this is likely that Riverside-Avondale has a decent tree canopy while the others have much less tree coverage. In contrast, these areas have an abundance of heat islands, which are the consequence of impervious surfaces.
Stop Before You Chop
Additionally, the Riverside-Avondale tree canopy adds to the real estate value of our neighborhood. Nationwide studies indicate the range is between 3.5-15% in added value if the property contains several trees and the home is within an urban forest. Stop to reconsider if you believe trees must be removed from your property. Certain insurance companies promote tree removal in anticipation of storm damage. However, a healthy, well-maintained tree can disrupt damaging wind and rain.
When considering tree trimming or removal, UF/IFAS Urban Forestry Extension Agent Larry Figart encourages all residents to only work with tree-trimming companies that have an arborist certified by the International Society of Arboriculture on staff to assess the health of the tree before trimming or removal.
By Brooks Andrews
Florida Master Naturalist
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading... 
