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President George Washington called Charlotte, a "trifling place" during his visit to the city in 1791. But it's certainly changed since then. WFAE's Tasnim Shamma explores the ins-and-outs of Charlotte in this podcast.Subscribe: Use iTunes Use Another Player RSS

By The Numbers: Charlotte's Trees

Tasnim Shamma

  • 49: Percent of tree canopy lost between 1995 and 2008
  • One: Public tree for every seven residents
  • $11.83: Amount spent per person on its street trees
  • 215: Tree species in the city's inventory. Predominant tree species are willow oak and crapemyrtle
  • $166: Total benefits of an average street tree
  • 28: Million cubic feet of stormwater intercepted annually 
  • $2.1: Million dollars in stormwater management savings
  • 10,860: Tons of carbon dioxide sequestered
  • 3,235: Tons of emissions reduced
  • 2.76: Million in increased property value
  • 100+: Average height, in feet, of the tallest street trees  

-Source: American ForestsCharMeck Landscape Management

The latest episode of "A Trifling Place" is about how a banking town became a city of tree-huggers. Listen to it here: "Charlotte's Tree Obsession". 

Need more reason to love trees in Charlotte? I have to refer you to this poemby Joyce Kilmer called "Trees" that a listener requested I post. It starts,

" I think that I shall never see
A poem as lovely as a tree ... "