Tagged: Trees

• 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
  

Duke Energy has more than 90,000 miles of overhead power lines across the Carolinas, which makes for a lot of tree-trimming to keep the lines clear – and a lot of complaints about that trimming. In Greensboro, the typical frustration is shaping into a legal battle between Duke and the city.

"Vegetation management" is the technical term for it, but residents of several old neighborhoods near downtown Greensboro use other words.

"Duke Power came in and just clear-cut the area," said Jay James at a Tuesday night meeting of the Greensboro City Council.

A new North Carolina law that allows the state to override local tree-protection ordinances has resulted in the loss of several hundred trees that covered at least 50 acres near billboards in Charlotte, according to the city's arborist. 

How the legislation is implemented is still being determined by the state Department of Transportation. The process involves a public comment period that ends Friday.

Charlotte is known for trees, so it's fitting that every year arborists gather here to show off their tree-scaling skills. The Charlotte Arborists Association's Annual Tree Climbing Competition is Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Freedom Park. WFAE's Julie Rose went for a preview. 

Chip Hildreth is sprawled on the limb of a Willow Oak 85 feet up. He's got a bushy beard, sunglasses and helmet. The highest he's ever been in a tree is 128 feet, so this 85 foot limb is nothing.

"No, this is cozy!" yells Hildreth. You can just hear him chuckling.