Cities/Villages/Towns issued the following announcement on Nov. 30
Wauwatosa has over 25,000 city trees (typically trees that are in medians or in the grassy area between sidewalks and the street). Our Tosa trees contribute lots of value to our urban forest:
- Our urban forest is valued at $61.6 million.
- Every year, our trees take 331 tons of carbon out the atmosphere through a process called carbon sequestration.
- Our trees produce 888 tons of oxygen per year.
- Trees also help avoid stormwater runoff. Annually, Wauwatosa trees keep 2.2 million gallons of stormwater from going into our rivers and lakes.
- Wauwatosa has 116 species, and the goal is to continue diversifying our urban forest.
If you start to dig into the data, you might notice some trends:
- Four species of trees make up roughly two thirds of our forest – which is not a healthy balance for our ecosystem. We have over 116 species of trees and the goal is to increase our tree diversity, so Wauwatosa’s forest continues to thrive. By choosing a diverse palate of trees, we minimize risks of pests or diseases impacting our urban forest.
- You’ll also be able to see the ecological benefits that each tree contributes. Trees contribute to their environment by providing oxygen, improving air quality, climate amelioration, conserving water, preserving soil, and supporting wildlife. Wauwatosa is a Tree City which means that we have met certain criteria that shows our commitment to our forest management.
- We often get questions about when trees were last treated or pruned, and this tool will have those answers for you. Click on any individual tree to see this data.
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