TreesLouisville 2019-2020 Annual Report

Annual Report

In March, TreesLouisville celebrated a milestone event - our 5th year anniversary. Since 2015, as you will see in this report, we have built invaluable partnerships and collaborations city-wide that are creating transformative projects.

We are a small but efficient team. Charlotte Jones has been an invaluable asset with her many talents and knack for organization. Rob Monsma contributes a technological component to our work that truly elevates our capacity to collect and analyze data and distribute information. Mike Hayman, Louisville’s own ‘Pied Piper of Trees’, brings unique skills and an incredible passion for trees that continually inspires us to work hard to develop diversity- and design-driven solutions to improve our community canopy. I feel so lucky to work with such energetic and committed people.

We firmly believe a robust canopy is one of the keys to mitigating environmental injustice and social inequities, and these values guide our work on a daily basis.

With your help, we will continue to raise awareness of the value of our urban forest and improve Louisville’s tree canopy, especially in neighborhoods that have suffered from the consequences of historical discriminatory practices. We will advocate for stronger policies to protect and enhance tree canopy. Through the five pillars of our mission, we will strive to create a healthier Louisville - environmentally, economically, and socially. And, as we have from the beginning, we will adhere to our mantra that it’s not just about the trees it’s about the people.

Cindi Sullivan, Executive Director

We are grateful to our many corporate and foundation partners, individual collaborators and donors, and to our dedicated Board of Directors who make our tree planting projects possible.

Cindi Sullivan and her team are central in fulfilling our mission to contribute to the well-being and health of our community by preserving and enhancing our tree canopy, with a special focus on historically underserved neighborhoods that have documented heat island effects. Our team is the means by which TreesLouisville works at the intersection of wise horticulture and social equity.

We are particularly grateful to Mayor Greg Fischer and his executive team for their encouragement and support. In addition, the strong collaboration of Metro Council members on our tree planting projects and tree giveaways in their districts has made these efforts highly successful.

We have ambitious plans for the upcoming planting season, and we hope you will take time to study this annual report and learn more about the deep involvement of TreesLouisville throughout Jefferson County.

Thanks for your continued support, and we welcome your input on ways that TreesLouisville can enhance the neighborhoods where you live and work.

Henry V. Heuser, Jr., Executive Board Chair

This annual report is dedicated to District 9 Metro Council member and TreesLouisville Board member Bill Hollander. Bill’s dedication to protecting Jefferson County’s fragile tree canopy was a driving force in the passage of a new Street Tree Ordinance in 2017 and more recently, important revisions to the Land Development Code.

Special thanks to Board Member Charlie Marsh for his generous sponsorship of this annual report

STAFF

BOARD

CHAIR Henry V. Heuser, Jr. CO-CHAIR Katy Schneider

SECRETARY/TREASURER

Allen Steinbock

James R. Allen

Dan Barbercheck

Jackie Cobb Charles P. Denny

Bill Hollander

Franklin K. Jelsma

Charles Marsh

Boyce Martin

JK McKnight

Mike Mountjoy

Sabeen Nasim

Wesley Sydnor

Paul Thompson

Dale Woods

MISSION

TreesLouisville is a catalyst for conserving and increasing the community tree canopy to achieve and maintain 45% overall canopy coverage. Our goals are to catalyze broad civic engagement through education and public awareness that promotes preservation and expansion of the Louisville and regional tree canopy as a necessary and invaluable asset, and to optimize the public and private financial stewardship plan to increase the community tree canopy.

OUR MISSION IS SUPPORTED BY FIVE PILLARS:

Looking Ahead to 2021

The coming 2020-2021 planting season holds many opportunities to increase our impact in the community through partnerships and collaboration. We will continue our robust planting program on JCPS campuses as well as with numerous businesses in Rubbertown and Riverport. Our partnership with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will continue to increase canopy along our highway rights-of-way, making our drives more scenic and providing important benefits to our ecosystems. Our planting capacity has been enhancing by our dedicated Canopy Corps volunteers who continue to advance their understanding of planting, pruning, and expanding our tree canopy. Residents will appreciate the opportunity to receive a free tree through a fourth round of our highly successful Community Canopy program this fall. Finally, we will gain important insights and understanding of tree canopy in Louisville through an updated Urban Tree Canopy Assessment performed by the University of Vermont Spatial Analytics Lab. Needless to say, we have plenty to keep us busy through the next year and look forward to another highly successful planting season!

Charlotte Jones, Office and Project Manager

Rob Monsma, GIS and Operations Manager

Mike Hayman, Special Projects Manager

Katie Davis, Summer Intern Anna Whittle, Summer Intern

Cindi Sullivan, Executive Director

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

Due to the onset of COVID-19 and a city-wide quarantine in March, nearly every tree giveaway event TreesLouisville had scheduled in March and April sadly had to be cancelled. Still, we thought: what better way to spend some time outdoors and with family than tree planting? We were determined to get trees out to our community. But how?

Out of what we attribute to “TreesLouisville synchronicity,” we received a last-minute (and incredibly generous) donation of nearly 700 potted Tulip Poplars, Pond Cypress and Oaks from Highlandbrook Nursery in Elkton, Kentucky. We considered this a sign!

On June 6th, with support from District 21 Councilwoman Nicole George, we hosted a tree pickup event at the Beechmont Community Center. Of course, hosting a tree giveaway during a pandemic looked a bit different than usual, but we consider it a very successful event. Participants pre-registered for trees using an online form, and in order to adhere to proper physical distancing guidelines, TreesLouisville organized a “drive-through” contact-free pickup system. Armed with masks, gloves and plenty of hand sanitizer, TreesLouisville staff and volunteers loaded trees into participants’ cars. The event was incredibly positive, and recipients expressed their excitement about taking new trees home to plant.

Tree Champion

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We love to plant trees in tree deserts because the change is so dramatic. Portland is one of most canopy-challenged neighborhoods in Louisville with restricted planting sites: small yards, overhead wires, and acres of hard surface. So when former Courier-Journal columnist Bob Hill asked TreesLouisville to consider planting at the Falls Art Foundry at 1715 Portland Avenue, we realized we had hit the jackpot. There are few places in Portland to grow a single canopy tree, but the Foundry offered us space for more than fifteen. Even so, space alone does not guarantee tree success. Half of a tree exists underground, making soil quality critical. At the Foundry, all of the planting space had once been a gravel parking lot. The question then became: how can we grow trees in a parking lot with compacted soil and high pH?

First: use trees that thrive in limestone-based soil, such as our native Chinkapin Oaks and Yellowwoods. An eye-catching white barked ‘Suttnerii’ Planetree will also be planted at the front of the property, along with a young graft of the iconic 300year old Bloomington (IL) Bur Oak. Second: “sculpt” the flat site. Nutrient-rich soil donated by Earth First of Kentuckiana was brought in to create berms that support trees that would not have done well in the otherwise alkaline environment.

As with any tree planting, success is not determined on the first day of planting, but will be revealed over the following 10, 50 and 100 years. Matt Weir, one of the partners in the Falls Art Foundry, is the project’s on-site “tree champion” and is already investing sweat equity by removing invasive species and taking on the task of watering through the growing season. With a bit of creativity, site knowledge and support from our project partners, we are thrilled to be able to develop unique projects like this one across Jefferson County!

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Bob Ray Co.

“Bob Ray Co., Inc. is delighted about what TreesLouisville has accomplished in the fight to rebuild and preserve our city’s tree canopy. As arborists, we appre

ciate the importance of having TreesLouisville in this battle and recognize their work will intensify the success of saving and rebuilding our tree canopy. Louisville’s en

vironment will benefit greatly for all future generations because of TreesLouisville.”

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

COLLABORATION

REPLANTING RUBBERTOWN

In our previous fiscal year, The Michelin Foundation, a parent organization of Louisville’s American Synthetic Rubber Co., awarded us a grant that allowed us to take a deep dive into site analysis in the Rubbertown Corridor. That study provided specific recommendations for implementing green infrastructure projects that celebrate and enhance a positive identity of the Rubbertown area with the overarching goal of tree canopy and ecosystem services improvement for the benefit of those living within and around the Corridor.

One of the recommendations of the grant work was to create public outreach opportunities to plant 10,000 trees in three years. The trees will be planted “reforestation-style” in large open spaces, along roadways, on private properties, distributed to homeowners in residential areas, at schools, and at faith based communities; in short, anywhere we can maximize tree canopy.

American Synthetic Rubber Company is funding a reforestation project on a 50-acre property located across from their facility, with Waste Management, Inc. supporting the tree maintenance at the site. Other facilities like Zeon Chemical, Lubrizol, and Hexion have funded plantings on their campuses and several companies at Riverport have also planted.

Tree Champion

Medora Elementary: “TreesLouisville has spent countless hours and resources ensuring students in JCPS learn in green and natural environments. The staff has provided ongoing support and education and has fostered positive relationships between school staff and students. Their commitment to providing the youth of our community with opportunities to interact with rare and beneficial plants and landscapes has been stellar and will benefit families for many years to come.”

In October 2018, Councilman Bill Hollander introduced a resolution co-sponsored by Madonna Flood, Brandon Coan and David James to have Planning and Design Services review Chapter 10 of the LDC relating to trees and tree canopy. Though revisions had been made in 2010, changes pertaining to tree canopy were paused until results from Louisville’s Urban Tree Canopy Assessment were published in 2015. The data was shocking -- between 2004 and 2012, Louisville lost the equivalent of 54,000 trees each year. It became evident that the need for tree canopy protection became more critical than ever.

ADVOCACY

REVISING THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE

Following two years of public meetings, hearings and ongoing debates, these important changes were made official by vote of Metro Council on April 23, 2020. The new code was simplified, removing excess language and complicated calculation tables. For the first time in Louisville history, new developments will be required to preserve existing tree canopy on site. The amendment also requires new developments to plant street trees, which will help reduce heat produced by newly paved surfaces.

The changes made and awareness raised through this process will have a marked impact for future generations. Many stakeholders are ready to continue strengthening the LDC to preserve our most invaluable common asset - our community tree canopy. Our community is now poised to serve as a model of innovation, creativity, and sustainability with an eye towards our childrens’ future.

Justin Moreschi, Science Teacher,

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

SUSTAINABILITY

COMMUNITY CANOPY PROGRAM

Between January 2019 and May 2020, TreesLouisville gave away 2,975 free trees to Jefferson County residents through the Arbor Day Foundation’s Community Canopy program. Made possible by a grant from the US Forest Service and the Kentucky Division of Forestry, Community Canopy utilizes an online program that helps users identify the ideal location on their property to maximize energy savings, carbon sequestration, and other environmental benefits. Participants reserved trees online that were then delivered (for free!) to their doorstep or picked up at a special event. In keeping with our mission of planting trees in areas of greatest need, we ensured that the majority of trees were allotted to households in low canopy areas of Jefferson County.

Over the next 20 years, these trees will

Provide $63,032 in energy savings by reducing 363,626 kWh of energy usage

Mitigate 5,398,563 gallons of stormwater runoff

Sequester 1,558,894 lbs of carbon dioxide and intercept 5,400 lbs of air pollutants

CANOPY CORPS VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

TreesLouisville’s Canopy Corps was established in January 2020 to provide an opportunity for Louisville residents interested in volunteering their time to help restore our tree canopy. Beginning by working in small groups with staff, volunteers built their knowledge and understanding of trees, tree planting, root systems, and other topics through hands-on, experiential learning. The planting season wound down in April, and the Canopy Corps transitioned to pruning trees at previously planted sites as part of our commitment to ensuring the lifelong success of these young trees. Volunteer events were paused through March, April, and May as we came to understand the impact of COVID-19 but even so, our Canopy Corps accomplished planting 250 and pruning over 500 trees during the 2019-2020 season!

FUNDING

TREE REBATE PROGRAM

Thanks to sponsorship from the Louisville Metro Division of Community Forestry, TreesLouisville launched its Shade Tree Rebate Program, which offered Jefferson County residents the opportunity to receive a discount of up to $80 on the purchase of eligible canopy trees. Over the course of this program, which concluded in May 2020, 612 trees have been planted by 410 participants! With nearly 70% of available planting space in Louisville being privately owned, individual residents truly hold the key to improving and expanding our city’s tree canopy.

“At a time when outdoor classrooms are being discussed (among outdoor educators) as an alternative to provide in-person instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is fortunate that Maupin’s campus has so many trees to provide a safe and shady setting when kids are outside whether for learning or recreation.”

EDUCATION & ENGAGEMENT

Maria Cissell, retired Principal, Maupin Elementary:

Tree Champion

Education Is The Key

Over the past five years, TreesLouisville and Jefferson County Public Schools have teamed up to plant thousands of trees on over 60 campuses with the eventual goal of reforesting all 170 JCPS properties. We believe that education is the key to expanding the public’s interest and investment in the community forest, and what better place to plant these “seeds” of interest than at our public schools!

Trees have a direct effect on students’ mental and physical health by creating learning environments with connections to the natural world and by providing air quality improvement, stormwater management, and heat and noise level reductions. Exposure to nature improves students’ academic performance, focus and behavior. It’s important to point out that schools do not solely exist for learning, but also serve as sites for community meetings, sports activities, and are utilized by local residents for exercise and recreation.

To ensure proper maintenance of new trees, TreesLouisville has offered hands-on training for grounds maintenance staff, along with study guides and information about International Society of Arboriculture Arborist Certifications. We’ve also provided Pesticide Certification Training and arranged for special testing dates for the staff through the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.

Every eighth-grade science classroom now has access to a “Trees: Nature’s Machines” science unit, developed and provided by TreesLouisville, which includes arborist diameter tapes, tree identification guides, and a manual to calculate tree ecosystem services. In 2020, we began offering a two-week long initiative focused on preserving, cultivating, advocating and educating students in all elements concerning forestry in urban environments with presentations at schools including Seneca High School and Moore Traditional School.

ROADSIDE

TreesLouisville and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet have initiated a creative and innovative partnership to plant and maintain roadside vegetation in an effort to improve the safety and overall aesthetics of roadside rights-of-way. Our partnership has facilitated the enhancement of pollinator habitats through the installation of native trees and implementation of no-mow zones and is simultaneously helping to control invasive, noxious plants.

Our goal is to have safe, beautiful, stable, and self-sustaining landscapes with minimal maintenance requirements, designed with seasonal interest, plant diversity, and longevity in mind. This year, we joined together to design and install a number of projects, including sites along the Shawnee Expressway, multiple downtown sites, and -- one we are most excited about -- within the grassy median on South Hurstbourne Parkway, a location which tree planting has long been deferred.

We are so grateful to our many partners, as they are integral to the implementation and long-term success of TreesLouisville’s projects. Our special thanks go to our planting contractors, local tree nurseries, students and faculty at the University of Kentucky’s Department of Landscape Architecture, and all of the businesses, organizations and individuals who have offered their support, built connections and offered guidance along the way.

DEVELOPING GREEN SPACE IN DOWNTOWN LOUISVILLE

TreesLouisville has been a tree planting partner with Jefferson Community and Technical College at their main campus in downtown Louisville on several occasions, including this spring for JCTC’s new Advanced Manufacturing & IT building at South 1st Street and West College Street. In order for these trees to succeed in the urban environment, we opted to adapt an existing landscape plan to better match the site conditions by substituting half of the trees with species more likely to survive and fit the space. Trees like the fruitless, thornless Osage Orange can withstand poor soil conditions and heat from the concrete and asphalt environment along South 1st Street.

Ironically, two uncharacteristically late spring freezes in April and May that killed newly emerged leaves ultimately worked to our advantage. Those freezes extended the digging season for trees strong enough to recover and send out a second flush, which gave us the opportunity to acquire the durable ‘Wichita’ variety of Osage Orange trees much later than normal. Now, with tree canopy swapped for cement, JCTC’s new facility offers shade and green space for students and instructors along the building and in the parking lot!

CHEERS TO ANOTHER PLANTING SEASON!

In October 2019, TreesLouisville partnered with Against the Grain Brewery and Louisville Grows for the first annual Twigs and Swigs event to celebrate the start of the fall tree planting season. The all-day celebration and fundraiser included a pop-up market with local artisans, several local craft breweries, a silent auction, a 500+ tree giveaway, citizen forester training by Louisville Grows, and live music from local musicians DOMDI and Ben Sollee. Funds from the event have been utilized to install a tree planting project in the WHAS-11 parking lot located at the intersection of West Chestnut Street and Armory Place.

EXAMINING CHANGES TO LOUISVILLE’S TREE CANOPY

We extend our thanks to the LG&E Foundation for their continued support of TreesLouisville’s projects! A Plant For the Planet grant and funding from the Community Grants program allowed us to install dozens of new trees at Farnsley Middle School in the Rubbertown Corridor. We are grateful to have had a team of LG&E employees and their families help to plant and mulch over 100 trees at Farnsley at a volunteer event at the end of 2019.

The alarming loss of tree canopy revealed between the years of 2004 to 2012 by Louisville’s 2015 Urban Tree Canopy assessment has been the impetus and one of the guiding forces of TreesLouisville’s work for the past five years. As of this year, the data that informed the assessment is eight years old, and the need for an updated Urban Tree Canopy Assessment analyzing tree canopy gains and losses throughout Jefferson County from 2012 to the present has become critical.

Enter the University of Vermont Spatial Analysis Lab (SAL). The SAL, a cutting-edge Geographic Information Systems research facility, has worked with cities across the country (Philadelphia, Baltimore, Boston, and most recently, Charlotte, NC) to develop urban tree canopy studies. We are lucky to have been approached by researchers at the SAL to undertake a new assessment of Louisville’s canopy cover, and we excitedly await the results of the new tree canopy study by fall 2020. Updating this data will ensure TreesLouisville, other organizations, Metro government and Louisville residents have an understanding of the issue we are facing as a community and provide metrics by which we can plan strategic approaches to improve tree canopy.

Thank You To Our Donors!

Foundations and Grantors

C.E. and S. Foundation

Capricorn Foundation Charitable Trust Community Foundation of Louisville

Kentucky Natural Lands Trust Kroger Community Rewards

LG&E and KU Foundation

Louisville Youth Philanthropy Council

Individual Donors

Ronald Abrams

Elisabeth Alkire

Carrie Alles

Anne Arensberg

Jefferson County Master Gardener Association

Allan Atherton

Keith Auerbach

Tona Barkley

Barry Barlow Betsy Bennett

Susan Bentley

Donald Biddle

Elizabeth Bingham Emily Bingham and Stephen Reily Barbara Bishop

Edward Blayney

Michele Blum

Chenault Boden Nina Bonnie Monty Boyd Alice Bridges

Thomas Brown Walter Bruning Kelly Bryant Tom Burchill

Allen Bush Susan Callander

Deborah Campbell

Schneider Electric North America Foundation

Target Circle

The Gardner Foundation

The Gheens Foundation

The Gilbert Foundation US Forest Service

William E. Barth Foundation

Corporate Sponsors/Donors

American Synthetic Rubber Company

Bob Ray Co.

Castle & Key Distillery Downtown Development Corporation Earth First of Kentuckiana

Highlandbrook Nursery Baird/Hilliard Lyons

Jefferson County Master Gardener Association Lastique International Corp.

Mark Chaffins

Betsy Chandler

Janet Chatham Louis Christopher Faith Cirre John Clark Jackie Cobb Ann Coffey

John Combs Chenault Conway Kate Cunningham Joseph Dahmer Gayle Dorsey Jerry Englehart Lois Epstein Benjamin Everhart Lynn Fischer Rose Flowers Will Ford

Sandra Frazier Mary Freibert

Harry Freibert

Simons Family Fund Layla George Jane Goldstein

Alea Goodwin Kim Greene Mary Greenebaum

Heather Hammer Patricia and Christopher Haragan Myron Hardesty Casslyn Harris Paula Harshaw

Danielle Hayden Mike Hayman

Helen Heddens

Greg Heitzman Chris Hermann Henry V. Heuser, Jr. Craig Heuser

Tom Hills Everett Hoffman Gill Holland Bill Hollander Winifred Hoskins

Patrice Huckaby

Patricia Hurley Harrell Hurst Mindy Jaffe

Joyce Jamison

Franklin Jelsma Charlotte Jones Helen Jones

Evan Judge

Rajah Karalakulasing

Rebecca Kendall

Bethany Kennedy

Michelle King

Diane Kirkpatrick

Phillip Kollin

Kerry Krininger

Walter and Lynn Kunau

Amy Landon Marissa Leese Gregory Leichty Joy Long

Lexington Road Preservation Area

Limbwalker Tree Care Linak US

MadTree Brewing Michelin North America Old Town Wine & Spirits Red7e

Redwing Ecological Services, Inc. The Breeze Wine Bar & Spirits

The Post Pizza

Timber Woodcraft University of Kentucky Department of Landscape Architecture

Vanguard Cleaning Systems of Louisville

Virtual Peaker Waste Management, Inc. Wild Hops Brewery Zeon Chemical

Hunter Louis Abby Lussky

Lili Lutgens Andrew Lyons Lauren Madden Charles and Jennifer Marsh Boyce Martin Nancy Matyunas Scott McCaskill Annie and Paul McLaughlin Sarah Metzmeier Scott Meyer Fred Miller Dave and Angie Mimms

Joy Monsma Rob Monsma Chelsea Moore Kathy Morris

Mike Mountjoy Joseph Mudd Barbara Mullen Elaine Musselman

Karen Newton Brian Olberz

Meleesa Oldham

Ellen Oost

Kent Oyler

Amy Pascucci

Lori Prewitt

Julia Quigley Nancy Rankin Joe Rapport

Michael Ratterman

Michael Reed

David Reilly Stephen Reily Robin Rogers Denise Ross Elizabeth Ruhe Stephanie Sarasohn Rick Schneider Katy and Paul Schneider Ann Schottler Kathy Schroerlucke

Nicholas Seivers Ellen Shapira

Anne Marie Shinkle

David Short Anna Huang Shrader Molly Silva David Simcox

Ruth Simons

Stephanie Smith

St. Elizabeth NNPs and Neos

Anne Steinbock

Ted Steinbock

Andrew Steinbock

Allen and Sherry Steinbock

Greg Steinbock

David Steinbock

Matthew Stone

Joyce Straight Lindy Street

Anita Streeter

Cindi and Steve Sullivan

Vincent Tanamachi Kristen Thompson Ann Thompson Robert Tillett

Bobby Timbrook Eli Tucker Brenda Tucker Carol Turner

Linda Vasse Carrie Vittitoe Jim Wallitsch Jim Walters Fraser Ward Marjorie Warden Matthew Weir Jeremy Wells Michelle Wells Donald Whitfield

Mary Ellen Wiederwohl

Garry Wild

Bronwyn Williams Mary Wilson

Mary Witt

Andreas Wokutch

Johnathan Wolff Pamela Woodford

Brandi Yoder

Jeff Yussman

Kenneth Zegart Jean Zehnder Mimi Zinniel