Statement of Concern
To: Lexington Select Board
Cc: Tree Committee, Conservation Commission, Planning Board, Permanent Building Committee, Sustainable Lexington Committee, Town Meeting Members, and Town Manager
Re: Statement of Concern for Lexington’s Trees
Our streets and neighborhoods are losing too many large trees. The undersigned express our urgent concern that we are not doing enough as a community to protect and enlarge Lexington’s tree canopy, particularly at a time when a robust tree canopy is needed more than ever.
Trees are one of the best defenses Lexington can have against the growing impacts of climate change.
Middlesex County has historically had 8.7 days each year above 90°, but by century’s end we are expected to have 35 such days under a low-to-moderate emissions scenario and 67 days with business-as-usual emissions. Heat like this creates health risks for our children, elderly and other vulnerable populations. Heat like this places an enormous energy burden on our cooling systems and will make many summer outdoor activities unpleasant if not dangerous.
What can trees do?
Trees shade our homes in the summer and buffer against wind in winter, reducing heating/cooling energy use by 25-40%.
A tree canopy can have a 15-20°F impact on the hottest summer days, the difference between our children playing outside or sitting in an air-conditioned room.
Trees combat climate change both by sequestering carbon directly and by reducing building energy demands (due to tree shading and windbreak).
Trees mitigate stormwater and flooding impacts by promoting soil infiltration and intercepting rainfall that then evaporates.
Trees improve air quality through uptake of gaseous pollution via leaf pores, intercepting particulates, and inhibiting the formation of smog.
Trees are a foundational part of the ecological communities that surround and sustain us, especially in New England. Trees provide habitat to countless species of insects, fungi, moss, birds, mammals, and plants, serving as critical elements in most food chains.
Trees enhance property values. A range of studies have found increases of about 3 to 10 percent in residential property values associated with the presence of trees and vegetation.
Studies have shown that trees provide a wealth of mental health and quality-of-life benefits, from increased cognitive function to reductions in stress and anxiety, reduced crime, and even more rapid recovery from surgery.
Shade trees can take 100 years or more to mature and fill the canopy. While we must continue to plant for the future, we must also recognize that what is cut down now cannot be regrown in our children's lifetimes.
We ask that you make the preservation and enlargement of Lexington’s tree canopy a greater priority through all the means at the town’s disposal, including education, resources, and regulation. We ask that you set actionable goals reflecting the magnitude of the challenge, and that you marshal every relevant committee and department to identify concrete steps they can take to help meet these goals.
We NEED a robust canopy to help minimize the localized impacts of global climate change. The best time to make these investments was thirty years ago; the next best time is NOW.
Notes:
This letter was written by a coalition of tree advocates and originally publicized at www.LexingtonTreeStatement.org. Over 1,100 Lexington residents have signed it, and the letter was presented to the meeting of the Select Board on May 22nd, 2023. You can view the presentation here (it begins just after the 2:3:00 mark) and read our six requests here.
We continue to collect signatures here and build momentum for making the changes we need. The political process takes time and persistence. Please continue to voice your concern on this issue.