As the ice melts and we’re entering the spring season, leaves will soon emerge through the bare branches of trees.
Some Dayton-area groups and organizations see trees as a critical part of their neighborhoods — as important as the sidewalks and utilities. But invasive pests and under-investment have shrunk the canopy and left some people wanting to preserve and add trees across Dayton.
Neighbors speak up for trees for their positive impacts
In the Five Oaks neighborhood, residents noticed 39 trees marked with white Xs in November. They learned that they were to be removed to rebuild the sidewalks to be ADA accessible.
This led neighbors to reach out to Dayton Public Works staff, arguing the scheduled removals were excessive, said Marc Suda, former president of the Five Oaks Neighborhood Association.
“We like progress, but we don't want to go backwards and cut and down. Our mature tree scape really changes how cool the street is, and what the view looks like, lots of factors,” Suda said.
After they spoke up, city staff reviewed the plans and determined a majority of the trees marked could stay.
Ultimately, only nine were removed.
They’re not the only Dayton residents concerned with their environment. A 2023 Dayton survey found that nearly three quarters of residents agree that environment and sustainability issues are important for the city to address.
Increasing tree cover creates a host of benefits for a community. Trees can sequester carbon and absorb other harmful pollutants, they can lower air temperatures by providing shade, they can increase property values.
A 2022 study by Columbus-based Scioto Analysis measured the monetary benefits of trees based on these and other indicators. It estimates that trees cover roughly 29% of Dayton.
It could save Dayton anywhere from $3.9 million to $7.4 million if it increased its tree canopy to 40% or 50%, said Rob Moore, principal researcher with Scioto Analysis.
“I think a lot of local governments are looking at their urban tree canopies and saying, ‘hey, this is a way that we can be able to have environmental impacts, social impacts, equity impacts all in one. And do something that people are generally pretty supportive of. People like having trees,’” Moore said.
And that work is shaping up one neighborhood at a time.
A local tree variety decimated by invasive pests
Over in the Wolf Creek neighborhood in West Dayton, over 30 trees have breathed new life into what was previously an abandoned lot. That’s thanks to a project called Twigs to Trees.
The lot’s been maintained for eight years by local arborists Susan Crabill and Wendi Van Buren, making it one of the more long-standing efforts to increase trees locally.
Crabill, who works with the Montgomery County Land Bank, said over the last 20 years, the invasive emerald ash borer killed all the ash trees in the area.
“That was a very popular, very safe, hardy tree that people would plant often,” Crabill said.
After the infestation spread, cities, homeowners and park districts had no choice but to remove the native ash.
“I knew we were moving in the wrong direction as far as tree canopy in the area,” she said.
On the lot, they’ve focused on planting other native trees like sycamores, oaks and tulip poplar trees.
In more recent years, the Land Bank secured funding for a tree equity and reforestation program where homeowners who agree to maintain it would be eligible to receive a tree on their property at no cost. The focus is on areas that have been historically and economically disadvantaged.
Last fall, staff planted 101 trees across the county including in Dayton. And this spring, the Land Bank anticipates planting 50 trees.
More trees, green spaces soon to flourish
Another organization that’s stepped up to increase green space and plant more trees in Dayton is Conscious Connect.
The nonprofit focuses on environmental justice, among other issues. It revitalized a dilapidated park in Five Oaks, renaming it Carrick’s Corner Pocket Park.
The group got rid of several dead trees to replant new ones, added benches and refurbished a gazebo. The park had a grand opening in May 2024.
Destinye Arnold with Conscious Connect said lack of access to green space often indicates lack of access to other things, anywhere from food to educational opportunities.
“Through research and understanding how beautifying a neighborhood can decrease the amount of crime, how it improves mental health and different things of that nature is really what allowed us to to start this work,” Arnold said.
Arnold said Conscious Connect has acquired other properties in the Westwood neighborhood to turn into Lorenz Avenue Park. They are currently seeking community feedback on the design plans for the space from now into early April.
The group wants to use GIS mapping to track heat index, tree canopy and air quality in Dayton, an idea they’ve started to materialize in Springfield, Arnold said.
On a much larger scale, Dayton was selected for a $2 million grant from the U.S. Forest Service to accurately map its tree canopy. The last time the city tracked its tree canopy was in the '80s.
Meg Maloney, the city’s sustainability director, said it’s part of a larger effort to produce an urban forestry plan.
“This is exciting for us, because this will be our first study in a long time to see what is essentially the pulse of our tree canopy in Dayton,” Maloney said.
The city seeks to hire a firm to help them complete the inventory and draft the forestry plan. The goal is to plant trees where they’re lacking. And plant the seeds for a more equitable landscape in Dayton.
