The Urban Forest Initiative: Educating the Public to Connect Urban Trees to Stormwater Quality and Quantity

The purpose of this project is to educate the public about the important role of urban trees and a healthy canopy cover for intercepting stormwater, thereby reducing stormwater quantity and improving water quality. Using three approaches, the Urban Forest Initiative (UFI) will provide residents of Fayette County with education to improve knowledge of tree care and maintenance, building on tree planting initiatives spearheaded by other organizations. First, development and delivery of a Train-the-Trainer workshop on tree health and care, patterned after a pilot workshop delivered in 2017 to UK students, will provide a mechanism for greatly extending the knowledge and skills within the community. Second, using an Adopt-a-Tree program spearheaded in K-college classrooms, UFI will engage residents to 'adopt' trees, in the process linking trees to stormwater and other ecosystem benefits. In combination with this program, UFI will launch a media campaign focused on the amount of water intercepted by adopted trees, much like a fund-raising campaign, using a 'rain gauge' visual to reach a goal of 1 million gallons of water intercepted by adopted trees in a year. Finally, to engage a facet of our community that may have only recently been exposed to the value of urban trees, UFI will host a large community tree mulching and tree care event at a high-needs location in North Lexington. This project is designed to enhance capacity within Fayette County for greater visibility of the urban tree canopy and the importance of promoting tree health and maintenance in order to realize the benefits of a healthy tree canopy for stormwater improvement.