Planting trees is just one tier of the solution for stormwater runoff.  The overall fix lies in an integrated approach that uses water conservation, water retention, flood management and pollution control strategies.  Neighborhoods and communities can utilize porous pavement, swales, holding tanks and riparian retention and treatment areas for example.  However, individual citizens can play a large part as well without a substantial dedication of financial resources.

By using natural yard care steps, it’s possible to have a great recreational space that requires less effort and is healthier for families, pets, wildlife and our nearby waterways.  It’s important to remember that unlike Vegas, what happens in your yard doesn’t stay in your yard.  In fact it’s quite the opposite.  If, for example, you use pesticides incorrectly the resulting excess will eventually wash into nearby storm drains and out to where salmon and other forms of wildlife exists.  Those products either damage fish and waterfowl directly or build up in their systems to cause reproductive harm and deformities and impair Salmon migratory behavior.  Studies have also shown increased health risks among families that use lawn and garden pesticides especially among pets and children.

One reason gardeners use a lot of lawn chemicals is the direct result of planting non-native plants.  Native plants act as attractants to native wildlife and often have built in resistance to insects and diseases that non-natives are missing.  The natives also tolerate our weather pattern of excess rain through the fall, winter and spring months and drought through the summer months.  That tolerance equates to less frequent watering and the plants look healthier, eliminating the impulse to try to “fix” them with fertilizer.  Eliminate much of the work associated with lawn care by using slow release fertilizers, mulching once a year, planting native plants in the soil and sun conditions they grow best in and using a variety of plants rather than a monoculture.

Only about 5 percent of the bugs in your yard are pests.   Use beneficial nematodes and vinegar or citrus products as natural pest controls.    If you learn to accept a little damage, nature may control how extensive it is or the plants may simply outgrow the injury.

Many of the lawn products stored in homes are hazardous to the environment.  It’s not safe to dump those items down the drain or toss them in the trash for the same reason using them is bad for the environment.  If you have hazardous chemicals at home, dispose of them properly by taking them to the City’s Household Hazardous Waste Facility at 3510 S. Mullen St. in Tacoma.There’s no charge for City of Tacoma or Pierce County residents.  If you have a question about whether an item can be accepted at the facility, call (253) 591-5418 or go to www.cityoftacoma.org/hazwaste.  While you’re there, check out the City’s EnviroHouse green model home for more ideas.  For classes or seminars go online to the City of Tacoma’s Envirohouse.  Check out our events and lecture page for more gardening options.

Roughly 75 percent of the inhabitants of developed nations live in an urban environment.  The impervious surfaces created by roads, sidewalks, parking lots, driveways and buildings accumulate contaminants like oil and pesticides.  When a rain event occurs, urban drainage systems such as sewers and storm drains accelerate the flow of water through communities and into drainage areas and waterways.

By returning some of that footprint to natural landscaping such as trees, the leaves, branches and trunk intercept the rainfall and temporarily store it, slowing the stormwater runoff down and reducing the pollution that washes into storm sewers.  For every 5 percent of tree cover added to a community, stormwater runoff is reduced by approximately 2 percent according to a study by the University of Georgia.

Tacoma’s Urban Forest Policy aims for “30 by 30” or a 30 percent citywide tree canopy by 2030.  Canopy coverage is the combined total area of tree crowns when viewed from above.  Ramie Pierce, Tacoma’s Urban Forester said that this area is generally measured using satellite or other aerial imagery and sometimes used in combination with LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), which Pierce said, is a way to measure the heights of things to differentiate, in this case, between lawn or shrubs and trees.  The most recent analysis is from 2009 data that puts Tacoma’s tree canopy at around 19 percent.

To get a feel for how this increased canopy might look, one has only to travel to North Tacoma.  Large tree-lined avenues bisect many of North Tacoma’s streets, muting traffic and neighborhood noises and providing welcome shade in summer and protection from the elements in winter.

Several things happen beneath those mammoth trees that might go unnoticed however.  If you’ve ever been caught in a sudden rain shower, you know that standing beneath a large tree provides shelter from much of the rain.  Trees help to retain the water on site either permanently or by temporarily slowing the flow to waterways.  Their roots prevent soil erosion and filter out nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, which pollute streams.

Research from American Forests, a nonprofit conservation organization, suggests that urban tree coverage translates into dollars by reducing the size and costs of storm water infrastructures.

Congress passed the Clean Water Act in 1972.  In 1990, the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) reported that one-third of U.S. waterways were impaired by stormwater runoff, directly impacting water quality.  Locally, cities can meet the EPA’s regulations by using trees to help clean water naturally and tying urban greening to property cost-saving incentives.

Some cities in the United States have begun to link stormwater fees to the amount of impervious surface on a homeowner’s property.  By increasing the number of trees and other vegetation, homeowner’s can reduce their stormwater utility fee.  The U.S. Forest Service estimates the lifetime value of a large tree to a community at $4,440 and the benefits extend to homeowners as well through the added real estate value of 5 percent to 7 percent for residential lots, to the ability to sell the property faster.  In addition, urban trees near buildings intercept the sun’s energy during summer months drastically reducing air conditioning costs and reducing the consumption of oil.  According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, “The net cooling effect of a young, healthy tree is equivalent to 10 room-size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day.”

The UW tree canopy study can be found here.
Storm damage

“It’s too early to tell the extent of the damage from the recent storm in terms of canopy cover.  Though it was extensive, I don’t think the end result is a significant percentage of city-wide coverage,” said Ramie Pierce, City of Tacoma Urban Forester .  “However, it’s the post storm-removal (folks overreacting out of fear and confusion and particularly susceptible to “door –knockers” looking for work capitalizing on the fear) that could have a much greater impact.
Tips for hiring a good arborist:

  1. Hire a tree firm that is bonded, licensed and insured.
  2. Ask for ISA Certified Arborist credentials.
  3. Check for current membership in professional organizations such the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA), or the American Society of Consulting Arborists (ASCA).
  4. Ask for references and check them.
  5. Get bids or estimates from more than one tree care firm.
  6. Don’t rush into a decision. Be sure you understand the work that is to be done and the cost of the services.
  7. A good arborist will rarely recommend topping a tree or other drastic pruning practices that are injurious to trees.
  8. Never allow a tree worker to cvlimb your trees using spikes or spurs.
  9. Beware of door-knockers, flyers or cold calls
  10. Good tree work is not inexpensive.

The February storm left trees damaged but before you cut down that tree the City of Tacoma's Urban Forester recommends a few steps.


The PNW-ISA has a searchable online directory at their website to assist you in locating a Certified Arborist in your area in order to provide your trees with the best possible care to ensure a long, healthy, beautiful life. The searchable database also allows you to locate consultants and practitioners with specialized skills such as hazard tree evaluation, tree health assessment, and specialty pruning practices, as well as confirm the certification credentials of firms and individuals.

 


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Making a difference by making a point

Nellis Kim, Cina Case and Mattie Lou Bell smile as they leave from successful meetings with Rep. Dammeier and Legislative Assistant for Rep. Zeiger, Sarah Pollock.

Over 300 people packed the pews of United Churches in Olympia on Feb. 23 to hear the governor, legislators and advocacy groups pledge their support and offer a sounding board for senior programs and concerns. Pamela McCarty, a union member with Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 775NW, joined other purple shirted union members in her pew because, “I do everything I can to support seniors.  Talking to the legislators is one of the most important things I can do.”

Seniors are by far the largest voting sector.  Yet time and time again when it comes to budget crunches senior services repeatedly go on the chopping block.  Those services aren’t limited to federally funded Social Security and Medicare programs.  In Washington state, senior services include everything from transportation to foot care to meals.  That’s due to a little known act passed in 1977 called the Senior Citizens Services Act (SCSA).  Initially created in response to the high number of individuals residing in nursing homes to offer them an option to stay at home, the SCSA leverages state funds so that for every dollar the state chips in, seniors receive about $7 in services.

In 1995, 88 people lived in nursing homes for every 1,000 residents (17,000 people in nursing homes).   Projections at that time indicated that by our current population, Washington state would need beds for 26,000 individuals.  A recent report puts our current nursing home number at 10,800.  To put that in financial terms, in 1995, 45 percent of Medicaid spending for long term care went for nursing home care.  Today that number is only 21 percent.  Home care saves the state roughly two-thirds the cost of nursing home care, a savings of over $1 billion over the last decade.

“Since the recession began in 08, we have been in a no win situation,” said Gov. Chris Gregoire.  “When you have a recession like what we’ve experienced, the demand for social services automatically goes up.  At the same time, our revenue dramatically goes down.  Medicaid costs alone have gone up 23 percent.  Our Medicaid inflation rate is just over 2 percent.  The rest of the states in the nation are experiencing around 8 percent.  Still you can’t absorb that kind of inflation when your revenues are going down.  We have cut more than $500 million in long term care and DD (developmentally disabled services).”

Many of those cuts have meant increased long term costs to the state, what one audience member called “volunteer drivers versus taxis” referring to the elimination or extreme cuts to volunteer chore programs and transportation options that have forced the state to pay for much costlier programs.  “To say that we have not cut enough when I think we have now cut to the core of what is the fundamental responsibility of state government,” said Gregoire who disputed those who say the state needs to make more cuts.   “A budget is a document of values.  It’s not a document of numbers.  We cannot cut and cut and cut and leave our safety net frayed.  If you cut mental health today, the consequence will be that we have to pay much, much more down the line.”

It was Mattie Lou Bell’s second time coming to Senior Lobby Day.  She serves on Pierce County’s ADRC (Aging and Disability Resource Center) Advisory Council where she’s been a board member for three years.  Bell traveled the capitol campus with Cina Case, a UWT student who serves as a Pierce County Long Term Care Ombudsman volunteer and case management intern and Nellis Kim, Pierce County’s Long Term Care Ombudman and only paid staff for Pierce County.  They spoke with Representative Bruce Dammeier (R) and Sarah Pollock, Legislative Assistant to Representative Hans Zeiger (R) both of the 25th District, to thank them for supporting senior programs and to reiterate the importance of two programs that have recently been hit hard with cuts: the Ombudsman program and Adult Day Health.

Dammeier agreed, saying “as the minority party sometimes the challenge is how you best influence.”  The House Republican Party had just the day before preserved those programs in their budget.

Kim pointed out with the recent Pierce Transit cuts, 700 people with disabilities lost access to transportation.

According to Dammeier the legislators use a term “decimal dust.”  This refers to inconsequential numbers, in this case money.  Usually that number is around $1 million but this year it refers to $10,000.  “Our priorities are education, public safety and the most vulnerable (includes children and seniors).”

At Zeiger’s office, Kim pointed out that an additional 20 percent cut in budget effectively cuts the program by 50 percent.

“The primary goal of the program is to keep people in their own home for as long they can,” Kim reminded Pollock.

“It’s not just senior citizens,” Case inserted.  “It includes 18 plus (adults).”

“Some of those programs are vital for those people that can no longer use public options,” said Kim.  “Unfortunately, (losing those options) does end up tipping some of those people (to) where there’s no options.”

In Representative Tami Green’s (D) office, a small contingent of Community Connections, Community Resources and ADRC volunteers and employees were pushing the same message to a receptive audience. Green, a registered nurse who works with mentally ill adults and children agreed that additional cuts to programs “will save you money but it’s going to cost you money.”  She pointed out that Sea Mar estimates that as much as 80 percent of their clients have major health issues.  “You walk down Tacoma Avenue and you see an interesting mix of folks who just fell through the cracks.  If you look at the disabled population, the highest percentage of people on disability are the mentally ill.”  She emphasized that mental illness is not a character flaw.  “I get frustrated about the mental health issue in that with this much work (she held two fingers about an inch apart) you get this much help (held arms out).”

Contact your legislator here.

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