Lexington's Distressed Urban Forest

 My aide, Leah Boggs, recently toured Lexington’s Urban Forest.  Here is her report:

The tour was sponsored by the Lexington Tree Foundation and the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.  Parts of the tour were depressing because of trees that were buried too deep, had mulch volcanoes, were planted improperly, were root bound, and were damaged by mowers and other contractors.  To address these issues the city’s Planting Manual needs updating to correct ordinances that are conflicting, have gaps, or are not enforced. 

The good news is that there is some progress.  The Planting Manual is in the process of being updated and Environmental Policy is reviewing all tree related ordinances.  In FY 2015, Environmental Policy will add two staff members dedicated to street tree enforcement.  The Mayor’s Proposed Budget also includes funding for the Street Tree Cost Share Program to assist homeowners with street tree removal and replacement.  It is a good start but more needs to be done.  Enforcement of landscaping on commercial development is the responsibility of Building Inspection but the position dedicated to this enforcement was moved to Environmental Policy.  This vacancy needs to be addressed.

Lexington must address the damage caused by contractors and improper planting. Otherwise we will never be able to increase our tree canopy in a meaningful way, and we will keep planting the same areas over and over at a huge cost to the taxpayer. Fortunately, Susan Plueger, the new director of Environmental Policy, is aware of the problems and is taking steps to address them.  She needs our support.  We thank Susan for her efforts.