Venice initiative to replace trees lost to Hurricane Ian
Francesco Abbruzzino, The Uncensored Report, LLC
COV
The City of Venice is pleased to announce a tree planting initiative in the coming weeks to replace trees lost to Hurricane Ian. City Council members approved the use of the tree mitigation fund for tree replacements at their March 14, 2023, meeting. The initiative will be funded from the City’s tree mitigation fund, combined with a grant provided by the USDA Forest Service through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and Florida Forest Service.
Seventy trees will be planted in various parks where the City lost tree canopy. The total project to plant and establish these 70 trees will cost $57,000. The USDAFS is providing $18,500 and the City’s tree mitigation fund will be utilized to fund the balance. Tree mitigation funds are funds collected from developers when they are not able to plant all the required trees on a project. Some funds are also collected as mitigation for trees wrongly removed.
Hurricane Ian caused widespread damage to trees in Venice, with an estimated 2% canopy lost. These trees provided valuable shade, beauty, and many environmental benefits. The City’s tree planting initiative will help to restore these benefits and make our community more resilient to future storms.
The initiative will plant a variety of trees that are well-suited to our climate. The trees will be planted primarily in public parks, where they will provide shade and beauty for the citizens of Venice. Heat islands identified in the 2020 Canopy Analysis along with parks where the City lost canopy will make up the planting sites. Species diversity is also important, so a variety of species were selected: Live Oak, Bald Cypress, Dahoon Holly, Buttonwood, Gumbo Limbo and Pink Tababuia. All of the selected trees are well-suited to the area and with the exception of Tababuia, all are indigenous to our area.
The City is also working to educate residents about the importance of trees. Trees filter and reduce stormwater runoff, reduce summer heat, mitigate heat islands, provide a buffer from strong winds by absorbing much of the wind energy, provide wildlife habitat in an urban setting, and many other aesthetic and environmental benefits. We encourage residents to plant trees on their own properties and to care for the trees that are already in our community.
We are grateful to the USDA Forest Service and Florida Forest Service for their support of this important initiative. We believe that this investment in trees will make our community a better place to live, work and play.
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