Homewood prioritizes tree planting

Healthy trees provide lots of benefits for communities, according to the Homewood Environmental Commission.

They lower energy costs, increase property values, provide wildlife habitat, improve air quality and lower urban air temperatures in the summer.

That’s why the HEC and the city have worked to encourage residents to plant more trees, especially native species, and strengthen Homewood’s tree canopy.

This work has been rewarded by the city’s designation as a Tree City USA in 2019-20 for the second consecutive year, according to HEC chair Amy Milam.

And there are several programs at work to build Homewood’s urban forest.

GREEN SKIES OVER HOMEWOOD

In the Green Skies Over Homewood native seedling program, the HEC partners with Samford University and Henry Hughes of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens to plant about 200 or 300 trees per year along the Shades Creek Greenway, some of which are placed on Samford’s campus bordering Lakeshore Drive, according to Milam.

A Green Skies planting was held along the Greenway on Nov. 2, with about 90 volunteers helping to plant about 220 seedlings, according to Milam.

RESIDENTIAL TREE PLANTING PROGRAM

The RTTP, the HEC’s newest initiative, began in fall 2018 and was held again in November for the third time.

“This is an initiative to get trees planted on residential property, since Homewood is something like 98% residential,” Milam said.

“We will never get at having an urban forest if we don’t have a residential program,” she said.

Three landscape companies — Father Nature Landscapes, Endless Summer Landscapes and Curb Appeal — have partnered with the HEC to offer city residents discounted prices on 7-gallon and 15-gallon native trees and planting.

CITYWIDE TREE PLANTING PROGRAM

This initiative began several years ago, and the city has tripled the budget the past two years, according to Milam. “This is a testament to how the current City Council values and recognizes the need for tree planting,” she said.

There is currently $55,000 in the budget for citywide tree planting, but that is largely a rollover from the past two years, according to Milam.

“It took us a while to get a system in place with an arborist to help locate plantable public spaces … and then to get the bid process underway,” she said.

At press time, Endless Summer was carrying out the planting of 68 trees in November, one of the best times to plant trees successfully.

“It’s not a good idea to plant trees in the spring and summer.” Milam said. “You plant them in the fall when they are … growing their roots not their leaves.”

CLEARING INVASIVES

A critical element in creating a healthy urban forest is the removal of invasive species, such as mimosa and privet, according to Milam.

A major removal effort began along the Greenway in mid-October, with city funding obtained by Councilor Jennifer Andress, as well as contributions from Samford and the Homewood Board of Education.

The $38,000 project helped prepare the way for the Nov. 2 Green Skies tree planting. “That clears out the invasive species and gives us room to put the native trees back in,” Milam said.

TAKING STOCK

At press time, the HEC was also wrapping up a citywide tree inventory that began in June, according to Milam.

About 30 volunteers were surveying 200 sites in Homewood and plugging in key data about trees — such as species, height and diameter — into i-Tree Eco, a software designed by the U.S. Forestry Service.

“That will give us the benefits that our current urban forest is providing,” Milam said.