Columbus Tree Coalition: We Have a Charter
Columbus wants its tree canopy to cover 40% of the city by 2050. We're at roughly 22% today, and we're still losing trees faster than we're planting them. That gap is the reason the Tree Coalition exists, and at our second quarterly meeting we took a real step toward closing it.
(If you missed the first meeting, here's the recap.)
Green Columbus brought everyone together, and Executive Director Shelly Douglas opened with the problem the coalition was built to solve. Plenty of people across Columbus care about trees, but they tend to work in their own corners, and the coalition exists to get them moving in the same direction. More than 100 people are already on our contact list, and we're now mapping them by neighborhood to see where we're strong and where we're absent.
The headline: a draft charter
The centerpiece of the meeting was the coalition's draft charter. Its mission is to protect and grow Columbus's tree canopy alongside community needs and the city's Urban Forestry Master Plan (UFMP) — the very plan that called for a coalition like ours in the first place. It commits us to pooling expertise, learning what neighborhoods need, speaking with one voice, recruiting volunteers, pushing for better policy and chasing down funding. Membership is open to people and organizations across greater Columbus, and the work is split among six standing committees — Steering, Advisory, Outreach, Advocacy, Volunteer and Fundraising — with decisions made by consensus of the Steering Committee.
The rest of the conversation
One thread was the trees already standing on private property, which have little protection and have a lot of people worried. A recent Nehemiah Action event drew thousands out for tree protection — the kind of turnout elected officials remember.
The room was full of people already doing the work. Tom Tichenor came from B.R.E.A.D., which runs the tree-protection campaign you'll hear about in a second. The Final Third Foundation sent Max Rosenthal, its environmental awareness director; David Poole of Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed brought an update on their tree nurseries; and David Roseman of Friends of Allen Creek and Tributaries came focused on the watershed. Christine, president of the Northland Community Council, ties the work to her neighborhood, and Bettina Cooper of Naturewise Columbus publishes a free nature magazine for kids. Gardeners, neighbors and assorted tree people filled out the rest of the room.
The ask
If you do one thing after reading this, send an email. BREAD's campaign makes it easy to tell the mayor and City Council that Columbus needs stronger tree protections. It's quick, and it adds your name to thousands already on the record.
Send this to someone who'd want in
A bigger, healthier canopy won't grow on its own, and it won't grow without all of us. Our next meeting is in August — keep an eye out for details, and we'll see you there.
