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Making West Palm Beach Greener: How City Programs Help Residents Plant And Protect Trees · Inside West Palm Beach

• 0:09
  Welcome to the City Center podcast from West Palm Beach,
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  Florida.
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  I'm Jerry Marcelo.
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  When you think about the city of West Palm Beach,
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  you think about shimmering water,
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  white sand,
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  breezy days and warm tropical nights,
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  which you might not think about is probably the city's most prominent feature so prevalent.
• 0:29
  In fact,
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  it's even part of our name.
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  We live in a city named after a tree.
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  It's a fact that trees are a huge part of West Palm Beach's history and more importantly,
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  a critical part of its future.
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  Joining me today to talk about it is Nicole Polio sustainability program coordinator for the city of West Palm Beach,
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  Nicole.
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  Welcome.
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  Thank you.
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  Thanks for having me and you're very welcome.
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  Thank you for being here,
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  Nicole.
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  Before we jump in the trees.
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  Let's talk about sustainability sustainability department here at the city.
• 1:02
  What does it do?
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  Well,
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  we do a lot of different things.
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  Um personally,
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  as my role,
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  I'm kind of the green Infrastructure program coordinator.
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  So I focus on some of our water conservation programs as well as our tree programs and then we have a lot of different things going on at once.
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  An internal coordinator who does our greenhouse gas emissions,
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  calculating that as well as some of our other internal reporting like CD P and things like that.
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  We have our sustainability action plan that we are currently updating.
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  Now,
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  rethink Paradise Plan.
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  We just really try to get out into the community and make a difference.
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  So you have a lot of activity internal to the function and function of the city,
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  but you're also doing a lot reaching out to people to do education.
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  Correct?
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  Yes.
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  So we have um personally,
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  my outreach programs are we have a rain barrel giveaway program.
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  So um we can do a driver program where you do kind of the education component online before.
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  But we also do in person presentations on the purpose of rain barrels and any safety aspects like installing it.
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  And then you'll receive a free rain barrel.
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  We also give away free trees.
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  The topic of today's podcast,
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  free native trees.
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  You can city of West Palm Beach residents and businesses can get up to four native trees a year.
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  Um We also have a home improvement program that provides retrofits to your home to make it more energy efficient and water efficient.
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  And that's things you can go home and immediately install yourself.
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  Ok.
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  Well,
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  let me ask you a question.
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  Um I know that the coconut palm is actually not indigenous to our area,
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  even though it's West Palm Beach.
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  We,
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  the coconut palm was a was a transplant.
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  It's a story of a,
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  of a shipwreck back in the 18 hun late 18 hundreds where coconuts washed up on shore and basically covered the area.
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  Now,
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  I would assume that you guys in your,
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  in your programs to bring plants to the area and trees to the area.
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  You're not bringing in things that are an indigenous.
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  Oh,
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  no,
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  of course not.
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  All the trees we give away to residents and the trees we try to plant are native trees.
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  If,
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  if we do deviate a little from the native,
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  they're Florida friendly at a minimum.
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  So we do promote the native trees because they just make sense in our landscape.
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  You know,
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  they're meant to be here.
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  So they're more drought tolerant,
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  they're more wind resistant and they're just hardier in general because they're supposed to grow here.
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  So they're less labor intensive for pruning them and any kind of maintenance that might come up.
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  I think it,
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  we'll take it for granted that trees are beautiful.
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  They add a lot visually to our community.
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  What other things do trees bring us?
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  That's so important.
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  So they do obviously bring that beautiful aspect to any kind of environment.
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  They decrease heat levels in the city,
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  which is the most important thing in my mind is they cool off the city.
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  Um And as you know,
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  we just had the hottest summer on record,
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  so we really need to focus our energies on that.
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  What's the deal with the trees helping cooling cities are cities naturally a hot place.
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  Yes,
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  because of all of our development that the heat can't be absorbed into the soil because we have kind of paved over paradise in a way.
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  Um That cities do become naturally hotter and then you factor in climate change and you know,
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  we're just seeing some very hot days.
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  So adding trees has more shade,
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  makes it a very positive and creates a cooler environment.
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  Correct?
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  Yes.
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  What other things do the trees do for us?
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  Um Will they provide habitat for native wildlife?
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  Um They increase property values?
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  That's part of the beautification.
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  They slow storm water runoff and slow erosion,
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  they improve our overall health.
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  Um They make people happier,
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  they decrease stress levels and just contribute to overall increase in your health.
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  Furthermore,
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  trees actually sequester an insane amount of carbon according to the US.
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  Forest service,
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  America's forests,
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  sequester over 800 million tons of carbon a year,
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  which is roughly 12% of the US annual emissions depending on the year.
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  Um They're just incredibly important to store that carbon as well.
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  Even when a tree dies,
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  carbon is still stored in its trunk.
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  Let me ask you this.
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  Ok.
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  So you sold me.
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  How do I add more trees to this world?
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  How do I add more trees to our community?
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  You plant them,
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  you can come get if you're a resident of the city of Weston,
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  be your business.
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  You can come get a free tree from us and plant it in your yard and help contribute to our overall canopy goal.
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  Tell me a little bit about the programs that are involved.
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  You mentioned earlier that there are some tree giveaways.
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  How do those work?
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  So our tree giveaways work,
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  you can either we have two different types of events,
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  either a preregistration's a mix of them.
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  So um we'll of course,
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  put that on our flyer and on our website.
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  Um,
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  but you just sign up or you just show up and then you just need to,
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  um,
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  provide us your address and we check that on property appraiser just to you do need to be a resident.
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  You do need to be either a resident or have a,
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  a business within the city.
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  Got you.
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  Ok.
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  Um,
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  so we can,
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  we can pick up trees from you guys obviously that we can go to the local gardening store and pick up a beautiful tree,
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  hopefully indigenous so that we're bringing back what was originally here.
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  Uh How do we protect the trees?
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  Do we have?
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  I know we have a lot of trees that are by cement and sidewalks and stuff.
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  Is there anything that we should be aware of as homeowners of taking care of our trees?
• 7:15
  Oh,
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  of course.
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  I mean,
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  you got to be aware of quite a few things when you're planting a tree.
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  Selection is really important.
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  There are trees that are better suited to the kind of environment you were just describing.
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  Um And there's trees that will not thrive in that environment no matter what.
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  So just do a little research I recommend if I um that's us extension office.
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  Whenever I have a question about a tree,
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  I just Google the tree name.
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  I I,
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  and then I read up on it and,
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  you know,
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  of course,
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  the city,
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  we love to be a resource as well.
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  So always feel free to reach out to me.
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  Um But you definitely need to take into account um the size of the tree,
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  its light requirements,
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  how much water it needs.
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  Um If you're planting,
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  you know,
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  in a high traffic area,
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  you want to see if the roots are like above the ground or you know how the roots grow,
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  things like that.
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  And you make a very good point about the roots.
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  I know that uh a lot of people love and I love the beautiful Banyan trees as they grow old.
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  And they're just sort of this massive structure.
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  It's fantastic,
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  but I understand that they're very intrusive that they can really do damage to pipes and other structures under the ground.
• 8:30
  Yes,
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  exactly.
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  And before you plant a tree,
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  I should also mention that there is a free service.
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  It's 811 you call that and uh they will uh delineate any utilities that you might have going under your yard.
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  Um in my experience,
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  the backyard's pretty clear,
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  but in the front yard you might have connections,
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  you know,
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  your water connections and anything in the street.
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  Um,
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  who knows what's really going on.
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  So you need to check the utilities when you're planting a tree.
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  Definitely where they're located,
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  you might know,
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  but you might also have to call and find out and that number is 811,
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  just three digits.
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  Got you.
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  Ok.
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  Well.
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  Ok.
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  So we've covered a lot of ground and you know,
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  we talked a little bit about the wide range of programs of sustainability.
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  The department here at the city uh actually offers and is involved with.
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  It seems to me that one of the main things that's going on is looking forward in time making West Palm Beach sustainable and a beautiful place to live,
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  not five years from now or 10 years from now,
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  but way far further down the road.
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  Uh What role do you think repopulating and re uh invigorating our own canopy plays into that to that goal?
• 9:46
  Well,
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  I think it's a very important aspect of meeting our climate goals um and achieving our net zero goal.
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  So for our audience,
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  tell us what net zero actually is.
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  Net zero is we're trying to be um have zero carbon emissions by 2050 or a net zero goal.
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  So that means whatever we're doing,
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  you know,
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  of course,
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  our operations are going to contribute to the greenhouse gas emissions.
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  But um,
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  it's offset set in some way.
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  And so things like planting more trees and making the city even greener than it is contributes to taking the carbon that we're putting into the system and,
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  and removing it.
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  Would that be correct?
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  Yes,
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  that is correct.
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  And it also,
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  you know,
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  planting trees and expanding the canopy allows for other aspects of sustainability to be incorporated more easily.
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  So,
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  you know,
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  we want to,
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  we're talking about,
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  you know,
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  walking more biking more,
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  you know,
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  using your car,
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  less using public transit,
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  well,
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  to walk and bike,
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  you need cooler temperatures,
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  you know,
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  so it's really kind of all ties together.
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  And so it's important to look at them.
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  I mean,
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  you think of trees,
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  oh trees,
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  but they are a really important pillar in trying to meet our goals.
• 11:03
  We've covered a lot of ground here.
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  One of the things I always like to do is to ask the guest if you could,
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  if you could send one message to the folks,
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  the residents live here in the city of West Palm Beach,
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  what would that message be that even the most little step can make a difference?
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  So even if you think,
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  oh what's this one plastic straw not using one plastic straw,
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  that's just an easy example.
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  Um won't make a difference,
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  but everything adds up over time.
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  And so,
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  you know,
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  you yourself can make a difference.
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  And even if it's something small in your mind over time,
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  it builds up.
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  So we all need to get together on this and we need to approach it as a community and support each other.
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  And you know,
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  you just,
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  you got to do your part really well.
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  So where can people go to find out more information about tree programs and about the Department of Sustainability?
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  So,
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  our tree program site is W pb.org/ten K Trees and our general sustainability page,
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  which you can reach the tree page through as well is W pb.org/green Nicole Polio.
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  Thank you for joining us and thanks to everyone in the sustainability department for what you do for the city.
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  Thank you for having us and thank you for listening to this podcast direct from City Hall in West Palm Beach,
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  Florida.
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  We hope you enjoyed our conversation today and if you did,
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  please subscribe and let your friends know we're here.
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  We also want to hear from you.
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  Tell us what topics you'd like to know more about.
• 12:43
  Drop us a line at podcast at W pb.org.
• 12:49
  The City Center podcast is a production of the City of West Palm Beach Communications Department.
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  I'm Jerry Marcelo.
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  We'll see you next time.