HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — A healthy tree canopy comes with a lot of benefits and if Tampa's continues to shrink, it could negatively impact the city.
Tree canopies provide shade and keep areas cool, which is especially important for the Tampa Bay area during the summer months. They also reduce air pollution, store carbon, and retain water during flooding.
Brian Knox, the Senior Forestry Examiner for the city, said Tampa's tree canopy has been on the decline since 2011.
“We’re right at that threshold, where if we lost more canopy, we could lose some added benefits that we receive in the city of Tampa,” Knox said.
As the city looked into our declining tree coverage, they identified some urban heat areas. Now, they're targeting tree growth in those areas.
City leaders set an initiative to plant 30,000 trees by 2030. You can help by being a part of the Tremendous Tampa Free Tree Program.
Thursday's meeting starts at 9 a.m.; they're expected to get to the tree canopy item around noon.
