Home » Louisville losing 54,000 trees annually, report says

Louisville losing 54,000 trees annually, report says

Mayor Greg Fischer asking for public input to fix problem

Screen Shot 2015-03-26 at 3.19.39 PMLOUISVILLE, Ky. (March 26, 2015) — Louisville is losing 54,000 trees a year, according to a study by the Louisville Urban Tree Canopy Assessment. The year-long study said the city’s tree canopy has declined from 40 percent to 37 percent in eight years—the result of insect damage, ice storms, trees not being replaced and many other factors.

Mayor Greg Fischer is asking citizens and businesses to provide input and ideas through the end of May on prospective solutions to the problem. The city will also hold public meeting, with the first one scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on May 14 at Louisville Metro Hall.

Fischer said citizen input will be combined with the results of the city’s ongoing Urban Heat Island study, which will help complement the canopy study and provide further data on the tree canopy decline. That will lead to a citywide tree strategy and a citywide annual tree planting goal that will be announced later this fall—in time for the peak planting season.

The study said that trees in Louisville provide $330 million in services each year to the community.