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Strengthening the The V&E Greenline 
Urban Forest

An urban forest contributes to community life in various ways. An urban forest mitigates global warming by absorbing heat in the summer, removes pollutants from the air, absorbs the noises of the urban environment, reduces emotional stress, protects birds and other wildlife, contributes to personal health by providing passive recreational areas, reduces crime, increases social interaction among neighbor, saves money in lower utility bills, reduces urban sprawl by making inner city neighborhoods more attractive, and increases property values.

The V&E Greenline urban forest in the Vollintine-Evergreen community and for that matter in other cities is highly stressed. Trees have been dying on the V&E Greenline long before the summer of 2003 storm.

There are numerous reasons for the degradation of the urban forest. 1. The combination of global warming, normal climate variations, and urban pollution means that trees no longer live out their full life. 2. The recent weather patterns have included extended drought, high "straight-line" winds, violent thunderstorms accompanied by severe wind gusts, ice storms, and prolonged soaking rains which weaken root systems and tree stability in the soft soil. 3. Utility companies are cutting trees in a thoughtless manner even when the trees do not threaten their lines. 4. Vines and invasive non-native species such as kudzu and privet are crowding out native trees and in some cases strangling them to the death. All of these factors have resulted in significant tree losses on the V&E Greenline.

As a response, the Rhodes College Urban Forest project planted trees on both the V&E Greenline and Jackson Avenue. Some larger, more mature trees were a gift from a commercial nursery and were planted by volunteers. Additional smaller trees were purchased as part of a grant from the Associated Colleges of the South. Trees were planted under utility lines and at the site of the kudzu eradication project. These smaller trees included species that would survived the hot and dry summers, would produce flowers in the spring and fruit for birds in the summer. These trees included some very interesting species: Sweet Bay Magnolia, Kentucky Coffee Tree, American Fringe Tree, American Hornbeam, American Smoke Tree, Service Berry, and Rusty Blackhall Viburnum.

The next Urban Forest project is to label many of the trees in the urban forest and perhaps add signage to identify groves of trees. After this, the V&E Greenline will prepare an application for arboretum status.