Did you know that Louisville, KY is facing tree canopy decimation?
They are currently losing trees at an exponential rate of 54,000 trees PER YEAR!
Image courtesy of Unsplash.com
Who's involved in the effort to make it better?
A non-profit organization that raises community awareness about the cities’ tree canopy deficit and benefits its community by replanting trees in areas of the greatest need.
The backbone for the first study of its kind to scientifically & clinically research the impact of trees and our health in urban areas.
Why is Louisville, KY losing so many trees?
Trees are being lost due to a few threats— Emerald Ash Bored (EAB), Disease, Storms, Commercial Development, and Ozone Smog Pollution.
Louisville, KY is ranked as the 26th most polluted city in the nation for ozone smog pollution. To add perspective to this, Chicago-Naperville is currently ranked 16th in the nation according to the American Lung Association.
Take note, this is not an issue specific to Louisville. They are, however, setting the bar for how this issue should be handled moving forward.
Did you know?
What Trees Louisville is doing about it →
- Heart disease, strokes, asthma and other medical conditions caused by pollution are currently found to be at very high levels in Louisville
- Trees catch particulate matter in their leaves, which reduces air pollution by 1/3 and if planted near highways, they can act as a buffer, reducing pollution by up to 60 percent
- The Nature Conservancy shows that life expectancy in “leafy suburbs” of Louisville is 13 years longer than in South and West Louisville areas who have less access to nature
What Trees Louisville is doing about it →
They are focusing on replanting in "areas of greatest need" as defined by the 2015 Urban Tree Canopy Assessment and by the 2015 Urban Heat Management Study. Their targeted area: West & South Louisville. Trees Louisville seeks to identify planting opportunities and develop partnerships with large landholders within the county and landowners who may not typically be involved in tree planting efforts.
What Green Heart Louisville is doing about it →
The Green Heart clinical study Health, Environment, and Action in Louisville appropriately dubbed, “The HEAL Study” will provide us with never before seen information on the links between trees and health in urban areas.
Launched in October of 2017, the project started collecting data on the urban temperatures, particulate matter levels, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the air. These variables are being monitored by a system of air monitors along with monitors that have been mounted on towers and even on top of an electric car!
In addition, The University of Louisville is studying individuals ages 25 to 70 in the "HEAL" study which will explore how trees can positively impact the health of a neighborhood and the people who live there. This is a 5 yr study where researches will monitor participant health before tree planting and then again after over the next 5 years.
In addition, The University of Louisville is studying individuals ages 25 to 70 in the "HEAL" study which will explore how trees can positively impact the health of a neighborhood and the people who live there. This is a 5 yr study where researches will monitor participant health before tree planting and then again after over the next 5 years.
Physiological data will be collected showing the participants’ reactions to air pollutants. The reasoning for this is because components can show up in the body appear within hours of exposure while others may take months or even years to have an effect.
This poses some real challenges, however, “A neighborhood is not a laboratory, where variables are easily controlled. And this project would be far beyond the scale of prior research that identified connections between neighborhood greenness and health. There has never been a rigorous scientific study that quantified the health effects of urban greening. This will be the first attempt to understand, is nature a viable, replicable therapy?” Dr. Aruni Bhatnagar
This poses some real challenges, however, “A neighborhood is not a laboratory, where variables are easily controlled. And this project would be far beyond the scale of prior research that identified connections between neighborhood greenness and health. There has never been a rigorous scientific study that quantified the health effects of urban greening. This will be the first attempt to understand, is nature a viable, replicable therapy?” Dr. Aruni Bhatnagar
What's next?
RESOURCES & REFERENCES
Green Heart Louisville
Trees Louisville
LouisvilleKY.gov— Louisville's Urban Tree Canopy Assessment
The Nature Conservancy— The Journey to the Coronary Valley
The Dirt-— Green Heart: First Major Clinical Study to Examine the Health Impact of Trees
The Dirt— The Reason to Expand Urban Forests: Our Health
