Bloomington has been a certified Tree City USA through the Arbor Day Foundation for nearly 35 years.
It is home to approximately 83,000 people, and is situated within the Southcentral region of the state.
Bloomington is home to the main campus of Indiana University (IUB).
IUB is the largest of the Indiana University campuses and is a certified Tree Campus USA. Although approximately 36% of total campus property is covered by tree canopy, only 20.4% south and west of the SR 45/46 Bypass currently possesses a tree canopy. The campus master plan called for nearly doubling UTC on the main campus to 40%.
Municipal Tree Canopy
Although a current estimate for the tree canopy cover of the city isn't available, the
City of Bloomington is conducting a comprehensive inventory and assessment of Bloomington’s Trees.
Input from a 2007 street tree inventory is being used in the study, as well as recommendations and guidelines from the City's Sustainability Action Plan which was published in 2018. According to the City's current Urban Forestry Plan there are 12,000+ existing street trees, and 4000+ vacant tree spaces.
Collaboration is ongoing between Bloomington's Parks and Recreation Department, IUB's Office of Sustainability as well as its School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources toward research and funding efforts which may inform zoning ordinances related to tree canopy planning.
The City of Bloomington is currently attempting to annex approximately 10,000 acres into city limits, which would likely have a major effect on estimates of UTC.
Urban Tree Canopy estimates:
Southcentral Indiana - 30.36%
IUB - 20.4%
Bloomington - N/A
Sources:
Indiana Division of Forestry. (n.d.). Indiana Division of Forestry Response to Monroe County Commissioners Position on State Forest Management of June 29, 2009. Retrieved from https://www.in.gov/dnr/forestry/files/fo-MonroeCountyCommissioners2.pdf
IU Center for Urban Policy and the Environment. (n.d.). The Urban Forest Provides Measurable Economic Benefits for Hoosiers. Retrieved from https://www.in.gov/dnr/forestry/files/Fo-INUrbanForestryOverallEconomicBenefitsMeasurableFactSheet2.pdf
Fischer, B. C., Et. al. (2007). The 2007 Bloomington Street Tree Report: An Analysis of Demographics and Ecosystem Services(Rep. No. 01-07). Retrieved from https://bloomington.in.gov/sites/default/files/2017-05/2007 Bloomington Street Tree Report.pdf
Tree City USA. (n.d.). Indiana Tree City USA Summary. Retrieved from https://www.arborday.org/states/documents/Indiana.pdf
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