PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Hundreds of trees were knocked down by intense microbursts on Saturday, particularly in West and South Philadelphia, and the city is still cleaning up. Mayor Cherelle Parker assured that the city plans to replace each and every one.
“I intend on making sure we plant as many trees and that we replace every tree that we have lost,” Parker said following the severe storms. “We want to make sure that we plant as many new trees here in the city as possible.”
Trees have many unseen benefits that humans depend on, like producing oxygen.
“They also produce habitats for other species, birds, squirrels and so on, but with a hot environment like the summers in Philadelphia, they also provide shade,” said Fritz Steiner, dean and professor at the Weitzman School of Design at Penn. “They also mitigate urban heat islands. … They’re very important with intercepting rain and stormwater in order to slow down runoff and reduce the possibilities of flooding.”
The leaf litter also provides nutrients for soil, he said, for other plants to grow.
READ MORE: Nearly all vendors at Southeast Asian Market recouping losses from weekend’s microbursts
From spicebush to black cherry to sycamores and northern red oaks, Philadelphia is home to about 2.9 million trees, which combine to remove about 513 tons of air pollution annually and store about 702,000 tons of carbon.
The Philly Tree Coalition, Parks and Recreation Department, and Pennsylvania Horticultural Society are working to replace the fallen trees.
Parks and Rec has programs that plant free trees in yards, city sidewalks and along rights-of-way.
Urban trees provide vital environmental services
Urban trees provide vital environmental services
