Development shrinks Raleigh's tree canopy
TO DESTROY THE HELMETS.
IT'S PROBABLY NO SURPRISE TO
YOU THAT RAPID GROWTH IN THE
TRIANGLE COMES WITH A CHANGING
LANDSCAPE IN THE TRIANGLE.
>> WRAL, CLIMATE CHANGE
REPORTER LIZ MCLAUGHLIN
EXPLAINS JUST HOW MANY TREES WE
HAVE LOST OVER A DECADE AND
HOW IT TRANSLATES TO HOTTER
TEMPERATURES.
>> SO YOU SAY YOU'VE BEEN HERE
5 YEARS? YES, I WASN'T
EXPECTING THIS.
>> JOYCE CLEMMONS SAYS THE
TREES AND SHADE SURROUNDING HER
DURHAM COUNTY HOME ENTICED HER
TO MOVE THEIR 5 YEARS AGO.
>> I MEAN, THE TREES IN THE
CRIME.
>> A BARREN LOT IS NOW HER VIEW
LAND CLEARED TO MAKE WAY FOR
HUNDREDS OF TOWNHOMES IN THE
COMING YEARS. A LOSS THAT SHE
SAYS IS MORE THAN JUST A STATIC
HEATING UP HER HOME AND RAISING
HER ELECTRIC BILL.
>> PROBABLY $75 MORE THAN IT
NORMALLY WOULD BE.
>> THE TRIANGLE'S DEVELOPMENT
HAS INCREASED THE AREA COVERED
WITH IMPERVIOUS SURFACES LIKE
BUILDINGS AND ROADS THAT HE
FASTER THAN LAND WITH
VEGETATION AND TAKE LONGER TO
COOL. ONCE THE SUN SETS WAKE
COUNTY'S HOTSPOTS ALSO CALLED
URBAN HEAT ISLANDS ALIGN WITH
AREAS COVERED WITH IMPERVIOUS
SURFACES.
>> ACCORDING TO THE ASSESSMENT,
WE COUNTY HAS LOST MORE THAN
11,000 ACRES OF TREE CANOPY IN
A DECADE. THAT'S MORE THAN 36
TIMES THE SIZE OF DOROTHEA DIX
PARK.
>> AND EQUIVALENT TO MORE THAN
8,400 FOOTBALL FIELDS. THIS IS
COUNTY WIDE. WE COUNTY PLANNING
DIRECTOR TIMOTHY MAHONEY SAYS
BEYOND HEAT MITIGATION, THE
COUNTY'S TREES ABSORB TENS OF
THOUSANDS OF TONS OF POLLUTANTS
AND CARBON DIOXIDE AND
INTERCEPT MORE THAN 8 BILLION
GALLONS OF STORM WATER EACH
YEAR. IT A WEALTH OF THINGS
RELATED TO CLIMATE CHANGE.
>> BECAUSE AS WE GET MORE
RAINS, MORE STORMS, MORE STORM
FREQUENCIES AND HIGHER RAIN
FALLS. THE MORE VEGETATION
TREES WE HAVE ON THE GROUND,
THE BETTER IT IS TO HELP
CONTROL THAT RUNOFF. APEX, CARY
AND HOLLY SPRINGS ALL LOST MORE
ACRES OF TREE CANOPY THAN RALLY
SINCE 2010.
>> AND MORRISVILLE IS THE TOWN
WITH THE LOWEST PERCENTAGE OF
TREE CANOPY IN WAKE COUNTY IN
WAKE COUNTY. I DON'T THINK IT'S
A MATTER OF
>> CURBING GROWTH. I THINK IT'S
A IT'S A MATTER OF MANAGING
GROWTH. BETTER SIDE FROM
PRESERVING TREES. THE STUDY
IDENTIFIED 1.5 MILLION
OPPORTUNITIES TO PLANT NEW
TREES IN THE COUNTY
>> LIZ MCLAUGHLIN, WRAL NEWS,
RALEIGH, WAKE COUNTY, THE
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
ARE PLANNING TO PLANT SOME
TREES. 3200 IN JANUARY NEAR THE