News Flash

The City of Charleston will hold a community meeting on Thursday, June 15th from 5:30 to 7 p.m. to gather public input on the progress of an ongoing study evaluating the city’s utilization of urban trees in stormwater management programs. The meeting will be held at the College of Charleston’s School of Business, in the Wells Fargo Auditorium (Room 115), at 5 Liberty Street, Charleston, SC 29401.

Information gathered from attendees will be incorporated into the study, which aims to protect, restore and increase Charleston’s tree canopy coverage. The study is being funded by the USDA Forest Service and completed through a partnership between the City of Charleston, the South Carolina Forestry Commission and the Green Infrastructure Center (GIC). GIC will attend the meeting to present the progress of the study so far and discuss the value of trees in helping communities comply with stormwater permits, reduce flooding and meet surface water quality goals.

Those who attend the community meeting will be asked to provide input on their perception of current city tree canopy coverage, specific locations in Charleston that may need more tree canopy coverage and tree-related practices led by citizens or local government that could be implemented but are not currently in place.

City of Charleston spokesperson Cameron Wolfsen said, “As the city works to find and implement solutions both big and small to combat flooding caused by sea level rise and stormwater runoff, we are happy to participate in this study. We look forward to receiving feedback from GIC about how our tree canopy can fit into our overall plan to achieve greater sustainability and resilience citywide.”

Project information can be viewed at http://www.charleston-sc.gov/TreesToOffsetWater.