by Deirdre Graziano

After watching (on PBS television) Ken Burns' new series on the National Parks, the benefits and beauty of nature once again are driven home. Many of us cannot travel to the Grand Canyon or Yosemite, but we can enjoy the beauty of nature right in our own city. Notably through our magnificent parks and our great lake. But also in our immediate neighborhoods - our boulevards, our parkways, and our very own back yards. Known as the "City of Big Shoulder" and the "Windy City," we are also proudly known as the "City in a Garden," In 1847, it was written our parks and green would "not have their equals in the world." Our emerald necklace of inland public parks and boulevards was to function as the lungs of our city. Chicago was to be a true green city, before such adages were mainstream or popular.

What has happened? With a century and a half of awareness, we are still losing more and more of our urban green space. Even with the city planting over 400,000 trees we have less than 50% of the trees than we had fifty years ago (Mayor Daley's Green Crusade, MetropolisMag.Com, July 1, 2004). Most notably within LCA, we are losing our backbone of green - the once continuous vista of Chicago green back yards. Such back yards over the years defined family, BBQs, and neighborhood. They were our personal green space, a reprieve from the chaos of our day-to-day urban living.

Double Loss: Green Backyards and Parkway Trees

In the place of true green yards, a new precedence is creeping forward - the complete concretizing of rear yards. At a time when urban ecologists are calling for more not less permeable landscaping, a critical question arises: Why is this concretizing occurring? Why are traditional ground level backyards in jeopardy? Is this developer driven? Does the new zoning code, in fact, encourage such devastation? Are new landowners unaware of the significance of the loss of permeable earth and mature trees in what was once a backyard? Are backyards to become glorified concrete patios? It is not that yards are not valued - for the past 41 years thousands have come every summer to walk through Lincoln Park gardens. Twenty three thousand visitors attended the 2009 Sheffield Garden Walk. With music, architectural tours, and 90 city gardens open for display, The Garden Walk is one of the most successful community events in the city. The walk attests to the reality that a backyard garden in the city is a treasure to behold.

Benefits of Green Backyards

The benefits of permeable green backyards have been highlighted with the rising green movement. Articles touting the beauty and benefits of urban green space are ubiquitous. They can be found in magazines on newsstands and in doctors' offices,on the internet, and even in our children's school bulletins. Green is becoming a part of our youngsters' school curriculum. The awareness that the next generation will suffer without ecological interventions and green preservation is growing. Truth is green will be to the benefit of all... children, young adults, singles, families, the elderly.

With the loss of green backyards there is, ironically, an increase in green roofs. True green roofs on garages and rooftops provide economic as well as ecological benefits. They can offset the urban heat islands that plague our modern world. LCA actively encourages green roofs, but not at the expense of our permeable backyards. LCA believes green roofs and green backyards compliment one another. Green roofs need to be in addition to backyards wherever possible. A partnership with developers, homeowners and landscape architects is one of LCA's primary commitments to the community. But LCA is very clear that as an organization it actively opposes and will speak out against the complete concretizing of city lots.

Examples of this concretizing are no longer hard to find. They are occurring block-by-block, neighborhood-by-neighborhood. The pictures below are extreme examples of the absence of any permeability or green in this Lincoln Park rear yard. LCA, other local neighborhood organizations such as RANCH, and citywide groups such as Preservation Chicago worry that these kinds of overbuilding in rear yards will set precedence and allow more concrete not less to become the norm.

Completely Concrete Rear Yard Example

Parkway Trees

Adding to the loss of permeable green backyards, the loss of parkway trees through poor construction and environmental practices has increased the green damage visited on our community. Trees, our mayor believes "can soften the rough edges" of our city. In the summer the canopy of mature trees in Chicago neighborhoods create a soothing mantle of green; in winter the sculptured canopy becomes a miraculous wonderland.

Summer Canopy	Winter Canopy

Seventy-five percent of America lives within urban settings. We now understand that mature urban trees reduce the greenhouse effect by significantly reducing air-polluting gases while releasing oxygen for us to breath. Trees protective shade often reduces air conditioning costs, up to 30%. Like green backyards, trees reduce surface runoff of storm water, wind and soil erosion, while increasing ground water recharge. Without trees cities like Chicago, would need "to increase sewage and storm water drainage channels and waste treatment capacities to handle increased water runoff" (Benefits of Urban Trees Forestry Report R8-FR 17, US DA Forest Service). The utility of trees is well documented, but the beauty of trees has economic as well as aesthetic value. Chicago's Landscape Ordinance holds "an attractive city of tree-lined streets and boulevards" and "greener neighborhoods" enhances property values. What is good for the citizen is also good for the city. Even with these accolades, we are still losing many of our mature trees along our parkways and in city backyards.

What can we do?

Loss of trees in the city is inevitable. Chicago looses about 16% of its trees thru urban deforestation, climate change, disease, infestations (such as Dutch Elm), salt, freezing/thawing cycles, and pollution. The Bureau of Forestry plants approximately 5,000 trees a year, but the toll of tree loss is still great and our parkways are often victims of this loss. Parkway trees are on city property. Though the city chooses from a diverse selection of urban hardy species, the city often cannot protect our parkway trees from the man made destruction that comes from poor construction habits and raised decorative planters.

A TREE KILLER - RAISED DECORATIVE PLANTERS

One of the most negative practices abounding in our community is the building of raised decorative planters in our parkways. This well-meaning, but misplaced practice actually damages trees. The City guidelines (below) for parkways are simple and clear. What is puzzling about the new wave of raised planters is that respected landscaping companies often are hired for their expertise and experience, and instead of educating their clients about the dangers of inappropriate raised beds seem to acquiesce to the clients' misguided wishes.

New Construction/ Parkway Troubles

In addition to the dangers of poorly planned raised parkway beds, poor construction practices in our neighborhood have too often caused the death of our community's parkway trees. On one LCA street, two trees were killed due to the trauma and lack of protection from new construction. Both trees had to be removed by the city but only one was replaced. The developer simply paved over the area where the second tree stood.

City Guidelines on Parkway Trees

Who is responsible for maintaining parkway trees? We are the protector of our parkway trees. The landscaping code requires property owners to maintain the parkway trees for a minimum period of 5 years following their initial planting. After this 5-year period, the City's Bureau of Forestry will assume responsibility for the maintenance of parkway trees.

New trees will be planted but often only at the request of the homeowner or neighbor. We need to speak up when we see poor practices that endanger our trees. The Dept of Forestry will come out if there are complaints. Simply dialing 311 begins the process. Watering our trees during periods of drought, calling to have trees trimmed, reminding neighbors of the dangers of raised beds; all are practices we can easily enact.

Parkway trees are to be protected during construction. The City of Chicago's Tree Protection Guide (Chicago Bureau of Forestry 05/11/04) was created to "minimize the negative impact of construction activities on street trees." A protection barrier or temporary fence of at least 4 feet in height should be installed around each tree to be protected and preserved. These protective measures are to be installed prior to the actual construction and maintained for the duration of the project. John Kirchner of the Dept. of Forestry reaffirmed that these protective measures are part of the Chicago Municipal Code and apply to construction of single-family homes as well as larger projects. There are many developers who protect our parkway trees - but, regretfully, there are some who do not.

Parkway tree roots that are on private property are not protected by the city and can suffer serious trauma due to construction. Construction equipment can injure roots. Digging and trenching - though necessary - can sever portions of the parkway tree roots. If these injuries are extensive, they can be fatal - but many of the trees that suffer such damage can be saved, if the proper steps are taken by the developer (www.treesaregoood.org). Developers and homeowners need to understand how new construction can occur while protective measures can be applied to lessen the damage to parkway tree roots. This has to be done on a voluntary basis but becoming a guardian of our parkway trees ultimately will add to the value of a homeowner's property.

Developers, according to Chicago's Best Management Practices Guide, must contain all on-site dust generated by the project, but a few developers do not appropriately contain the dust from sandblasting and stone cutting. Wet blades are, at times, not used because of their inconvenience and areas are sometimes not wet down because a water supply is difficult to secure. This dust from construction damages parkway trees as well as our lungs. Talking to the contractor is the first step, but if the illegal practices still occur, a call to 311 will alert the Dept. of Environment (who will send out an inspector).

We need to become advocates for our city's green efforts, and we need to commit to green practices ourselves. Recently, new green lots have appeared within LCA. Some neighbors have bought and shared a lot devoted to green space. Others have added reasonable additions to their homes while expanding green space on the front of their second lot. It makes sense, but it is an expensive venture. Far better to preserve and install permeable green yards, protect mature trees, and care for our parkway trees appropriately so we all, as neighbors and fellow urbanites, can benefit from the poetry of green. As Kilmer wrote, we will never see "a poem lovely as a tree." Words spoken long ago but words which ring true to this day.