The City of Wichita will be planting over 1,000 trees to tackle heat islands across Wichita. District 6 Council Member Maggie Ballard held a public meeting on Wednesday afternoon at Emporia Park to discuss how the lack of an extensive tree canopy contributes to the area being identified as a heat island by NASA. After extensive outreach and public input, the Wichita City Council approved a tree policy for the city on Tuesday. “Our goal for the tree policy is to lessen the effect of heat islands across our community,” said Ballard. “Implementing a tree policy isn’t just about creating a nice green backdrop for our city, although that’s a bonus. It’s about setting up our community for a better, healthier future. By planting more trees, we’re not just making the city look prettier. We’re also fighting climate change and making sure we all breathe a bit easier.” City of Wichita Arborist Gary Farris says from East Central Avenue and North Broadway Street, up to East 21st Street North and North Grove Street is the most significant heat island, or with the least tree canopy out of the 17 in the city. “We chose this area to plant over 1,000 trees, I believe it’s 1,382 trees in that area. To help increase the tree canopy overall,” said Farris. Farris is also encouraging homeowners in the area to plant trees. The City of Wichita is partnering with Seeders, Inc. to not only plant the trees but care for them for the next two years. “The EPA has identified tree planting as the most cost-effective way to mitigate heat islands, and so that’s what we’re trying to do here,” said Farris.
Source: KSN-TV
