Downtown Tree Inventory

Overview
Adequate tree canopy is vital to the environmental and economic well being of our Downtown. Trees save money on our electric bills by shading buildings and streets, resulting in a reduced need for air conditioning. Trees reduce storm water runoff by intercepting rainfall through their leaves and branches and releasing it slowly and also actively removing water from the soil. Trees improve air quality by absorbing pollutants and particulate matter from the air. Trees shade pavement and reduce air temperatures and the urban heat island. National studies indicate that trees increase property values by 5-15 percent and make communities more visually and environmentally appealing. The urban forest, or lack thereof, in Downtown Miami is due to numerous factors, but principal amongst them are hurricanes damaging or destroying trees and they were never replaced. In 2019, the Miami DDA worked with E Sciences to assess, geotag and categorize all 11,500 trees on public property within the Miami DDA boundaries. Their final report demonstrated that out of 1,100 Downtown acres, only 5.3% is covered by tree canopy, well below the national city average.

Master Plan Goals
This initiative is not specifically a part of the 2025 Downtown Miami Master Plan
3.0 Elevate our Grand Boulevards to Prominence
4.0 Create Great Streets and Community Spaces

Status
E Sciences completed their work in 2019. The report, table and location maps were shared with the City of Miami Planning & Zoning Environmental Resources Dept., in the hopes that the City would begin replanting missing trees and replacing damaged and diseased trees. The County also has grant programs to replace canopy trees.

1, 2 and 3-Year Outlook: Work with both the City and County to fund, install and maintain canopy trees, particularly in much-needed areas.