Tree Commission revamped to preserve city’s trees

On the hottest days here, when the city sidewalks may as well be beds of hot embers, all a Trussville resident must do to escape the scalding pavement is propel down Parkway Drive and bolt for Brentwood Avenue. 

The tree canopies that shade these Cahaba Project streets, and in other areas all over Trussville, provide some relief from the heat.

The five-member revamped Trussville Tree Commission hopes to keep it that way for decades to come. 

“In forming the Trussville Tree Commission, the city has taken a very important step in protecting one of its greatest natural resources: its trees,” Commission member Ralph Mitchell said. “This group will make recommendations to the city on how to protect and maintain trees on city lands and rights-of-way throughout the city. When people move to Trussville or visit, they always comment about our beautiful tree-lined streets and wonderful park and green spaces. Our trees are one area that sets Trussville apart from many surrounding communities.”

Mitchell was appointed to the Tree Commission on June 8 with a term expiring Feb. 28. Other members include Eric Frederick and Josh Smalley, whose terms expire Feb. 28, 2023, and Jenna Jones and Jean Cox, whose terms expire Feb. 28, 2024. Smalley chairs the commission, while Frederick serves as the vice chair. City Councilman Perry Cook is the liaison to the Tree Commission.

“The city of Trussville’s trees are one of her most valuable assets,” Jones said. “Members of the Tree Commission come to the table with different but complementary backgrounds and perspectives, and we have been tasked with several missions. I am particularly drawn to one mission: stewardship. The health of a community can be judged by her natural resources. When we take care of the trees, a mutual healthy response can be measured in the soil, water, and air, which, in turn, naturally, is beneficial to citizens. As a citizen, parent and grandparent, I feel indebted to future generations to promote stewardship.”

Smalley is the newcomer to the area, having moved to Trussville in April and being named to the Tree Commission two months later. He earned a bachelor’s degree in forestry from Auburn University, with a focus in urban forestry. He and Frederick are both certified arborists. Smalley’s work has taken him to various Alabama communities — Montgomery, Prattville, Auburn — to advise about those cities’ trees.

“It all just kind of played well to get involved with this,” Smalley said. “It’s really turned out to be a really good group. Everybody is very common in our desires. Everybody is focused on the same goal. We all just want to see what Trussville has preserved and improved, because it’s pretty unique. I can tell you that from working all over the state. What Trussville has is pretty unique.”

Smalley said the Tree Commission is working toward a city tree ordinance for the Trussville City Council to review and approve. The main objectives, he said, are to protect and preserve existing city trees, and educate the community about trees and horticulture. Smalley mentioned The Mall as an example of some of the city’s water oaks aging out, so a need to rotate in the next generation of trees is paramount now, so that Trussville is never without a tree canopy.

“We need to start establishing the next generation to start filling in those gaps, to be ready to go when the larger ones either die or have to be removed for safety concerns as they start to age out,” he said.

Smalley said the approval of a tree ordinance is one of the final checklist tasks needed to become a member of the Tree City USA program, sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation. To earn the Tree City designation, five things must happen. First, the city must form a tree board or committee. Second, a tree ordinance must be in place. Third, the city is required to have a budget of $2 per capita for tree planting, pruning, maintenance, trimming and removal. Fourth, an Arbor Day or Arbor Week proclamation must be approved by the Trussville City Council. Finally, an online application for designation as a “Tree City” must be completed.

As a designated Tree City, the city would receive two road signs, a 4-foot-by-6-foot Tree City USA flag and a wall plaque from the Arbor Day Foundation. With approval, Trussville would gain access to expertise and information about grants and other programs that can help the city advance the level of its tree care.

Smalley said taking care of city trees helps property values and community engagement. Mature trees and tree canopies bolster real estate values. Maintaining and enhancing outdoor spaces preserves a community feel.

Cox said the last week of February will include two Tree Commission events as part of Arbor Week. The first, on Feb. 24 at 7 p.m., there will be a “Tree Talk” at the Trussville Public Library. The following Saturday at 2 p.m., there will be a ceremonial tree planting and tree seedling giveaway at the Civitan Bridge.

“I chose to serve on the Tree Commission because I want to see Trussville have a healthy, well-managed urban forest canopy,” Cox said. “I want our town to have beautiful tree-lined streets and shaded sidewalks. I also see how trees can help our local waterways, like Pinchgut Creek and the Cahaba River, by reducing the amount of thermal pollution they receive. The fish and critters down in the creek actually need us to do our part up here on the land and take care of our trees.”

Beyond the approval of a city tree ordinance, the Tree Commission hopes to inventory every city tree: identify and map them, and then develop a master plan for maintenance and replanting. This way, in 50 years, even 100 years, Trussville still has an equivalent or improved tree canopy.

“So many cities and municipalities nowadays are losing their tree canopies to development and to growth and to just lack of maintenance,” Smalley said. “They’re not putting the investment and value on it that it needs to have. We don’t want to lose that.”