Our city’s roadside trees and green infrastructure are crucial to our environment and valuable to me and our future generations, all citizens of our capital city. DOTD must budget for the replacement of all trees to be removed as a critical element of the I-10 widening project budget. The removal and replacement of trees needs to be considered an important part. All trees within the proposed area intercept an estimated 3 million gallons of storm water each year, and they collect over 1000 pounds of greenhouse gases and fine particulate pollutants in the air each year. All trees removed during this process should be accounted for and replaced at a ratio of 3 to 1, in an effort to recover the ecological and environmental services that the current trees provide.
Response:
DOTD will be replacing trees in accordance with their Significant Tree policy and will replant where, possible in coordination with Baton Rouge Green.
Comment:
Our city’s roadside trees and green infrastructure are crucial to our environment and valuable to me and our future generations, all citizens of our capital city. DOTD must budget for the replacement of all trees to be removed as a critical element of the I-10 widening project budget. The removal and replacement of trees needs to be considered an important part. All trees within the proposed area intercept an estimated 3 million gallons of storm water each year, and they collect over 1000 pounds of greenhouse gases and fine particulate pollutants in the air each year. All trees removed during this process should be accounted for and replaced at a ratio of 3 to 1, in an effort to recover the ecological and environmental services that the current trees provide.
Response:
DOTD will be replacing trees in accordance with their Significant Tree policy and will replant where, possible in coordination with Baton Rouge Green.