AKRON, Ohio — As our weather warms over the next few months, you might notice more crews planting trees across the City of Akron. The city is making a big push to improve the tree canopy, one planting job at a time.
Almost 2,000 trees will go into the ground, focused on the neighborhoods of Kenmore, Summit Lake, and East Akron. The city said these neighborhoods have the lowest tree canopy, and coincidentally, the lowest property values.
Freshly planted trees now line the street on Lindsay Avenue in Akron
"They had not a single tree in any of the tree lawns here, which is the reason why we planted this street," said Matthew Knull, arborist, City of Akron.
Over on the Brooklands Drive, a tree is being planted that was requested by a family who lives there. Folks can request a tree to be planted, too.
"If you overlay a map of the property value and the tree canopy with the city of Akron it's unbelievable how they correlate. The higher the tree canopy the higher the property value, the lower the tree canopy the lower the property value," said Knull.
Bill Lyons of Highland Square requested a tree a while back, and now, he is finally getting it planted.
"When we found out the city was going to plant a pin oak on our devil strip we were very, very happy," said Lyons.
You can request a tree by calling 311 or going online to akronohio.gov/311, or using the free 311 app.
Knull said that not all homeowners want trees or feel as receptive to this initiative.
"A lot of them are under the assumption that the city will charge them for the tree which isn't true we offer a complete range of services for planting, trimming, removal, and plant healthcare if that's ever needed," said Knull.
Lyons continued, "I assume the city has done their due diligence and they've selected trees that are sidewalk friendly."
You will get a flyer in the mail if the city intends to plant a tree on your property. The city is focusing on planting native species like Northern Red Oak, Serviceberry, and Sugar Maple.
The simple initiative city arborists hope will sprout a big impact: "I'd like to see this area improve, I'd like to see the property values increase, I'd like to see this area become great."
The city said the tree canopy has removed an estimated 1.2 million pounds of pollutants and 70,113 tons of carbon from the air while slowing more than 255 million gallons of stormwater from entering the sewers.
"I'm happy to see city government working for the neighborhoods," said Lyons.
If you have a concern with the project or a tree that's planted or in the process, reach out to the Akron Tree Commission here.
