Clifton Community Partnership

Parks article:
Policy Protects Lush Vegetation
May 29, 2008
Source: Community Partnership Update/April 2007

Emory is committed to preserving natural habitat and forested woodlands. In 2001 Emory developed a No Net Loss of Forest Canopy policy to ensure no overall loss of forest canopy due to construction or renovation of new buildings. Additionally, the University wants to increase both the quality and quantity of forested areas on Emory’s campus.

Tree canopy can be defined as ground shading made by branches and leafy tree foliage.

The policy includes calculations to determine the appropriate replacement tree canopy. “Our goal is to plant enough new trees so that we meet or exceed the previous tree canopy,” said Ciannat Howett, Emory’s director of sustainability initiatives. In addition to the No Net Loss policy, Emory is working on a forest-restoration plan that will map the places on campus where miniforests can be planted. The forest-restoration plan will construct miniforests among clusters of buildings where it will be environmentally sound for the trees’ long-term growth. Recently, new forest canopy was planted on the North Decatur side of the Emory Law School and on Clifton Road near the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts.

Last fall Emory staff boarded a helicopter to get a birds-eye perspective of the entire campus. The flyover was done to map out and establish a baseline for vegetation. “We looked at mature canopy trees and ground foliage. We then developed a list of native species that can be included in the reforestation plan,” said Howett.

If trees cannot be replaced immediately, there is a tree bank where funds are earmarked for future plantings. Tree bank funds will be taken from a project budget and spent in other designated forest areas on campus.

Comparisons have been drawn between Emory’s policy and DeKalb County’s tree ordinance. With its focus on tree canopies, Emory’s policy is more comprehensive and concentrates on forest cover as a whole as opposed to loss of individual trees. The DeKalb County ordinance focuses on individual trees and requires only a minimum tree density on a specified site.