This paper presents a question-and-answer urban forestry plan tailored to New Orleans, Louisiana. It addresses five key dimensions of urban forest design: site selection on elevated, inland ground away from flood-prone areas; species selection including live oaks, cypress, fig, pear, citrus, and pecan trees suited to the subtropical climate; the social and environmental benefits of accessible recreational green space; ecological and environmental maintenance needs such as pest management, pruning, and disease prevention; and the central challenge of sustaining adequate funding in a city still recovering from Hurricane Katrina's devastation. The paper draws on arboricultural research, local horticultural guidance, and post-Katrina ecological observations.
The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina was at least partially due to the decision to build homes in areas highly prone to flooding during frequent storms. Given the likelihood of another catastrophic hurricane, locating an urban forest as far inland as possible on elevated ground would be essential. As Talarchek (1987, 217) notes, New Orleans offers an opportunity to study an urban forest in a subtropical environment: "The city has been built on the natural levees of the Mississippi River, backswamps, marshes, and reclaimed land along Lake Pontchartrain. Little of the natural vegetative cover of the site remains; today's urban forest is anthropogenic." This means that virtually any urban forest created will be human-engineered rather than a natural extension of the environment.
The designers must seek to ensure that the forest is situated far from the lowest-lying areas, yet remains accessible to a cross-section of the population by virtue of proximity to public transportation. Elevation, soil stability, and distance from flood-susceptible zones should be the primary geographic criteria guiding site selection.
Fruit trees are a popular and practical choice for an urban forest, and the harvest from such trees could either be sold to local restaurants and canneries or donated to anti-poverty and food support programs. "The Celeste fig is the cultivar most gardeners grow because of its reliability and the fruit is a great size for preserves" (Gill 2012). Pear trees also thrive in New Orleans' climate, including the Baldwin, Garber, Orient, Kieffer, Biscamp, and LeConte varieties (Gill 2012).
Although many of New Orleans' trees were destroyed during Katrina, many others continued to thrive, and the post-Katrina experience underlines the suitability of oaks for the region. "The city's live oaks, in particular — the massive, gnarly trees that give New Orleans so much of its shade and character — braved Katrina with particular aplomb. These trees, some of them hundreds of years old, are well adapted to this storm-prone, watery environment" (New Orleans' Urban Forests Survived Katrina, MSNBC, 2005). Another durable species was the cypress: "light, flexible cypress, which bent with the winds, but did not break" (MSNBC, 2005).
Citrus trees are popular in New Orleans, including orange trees. Pecan trees, although they fared less well during the storm, are another aesthetically beautiful and useful species because of their yield of nuts (MSNBC, 2005). It must be remembered, however, that although New Orleans has a consistently warm climate, it still experiences freezing temperatures; thus, trees suited exclusively to tropical zones are not appropriate. Other considerations include the heavy air pollution that threatens trees in urban locations, as well as soil compaction, which "can result from construction, paving root zones, traffic, or subsidence, a severe problem in New Orleans" (Talarchek 1987, 218), and heavy rainfall unrelated to storms.
Although the environmental benefits conveyed by trees are certainly important, one cannot minimize the vital role that parks play in lifting the spirit of a city. New Orleans still suffers tremendous hardships as a result of Hurricane Katrina, and a great gap exists between the "haves" and "have-nots" of the city. By creating a recreational urban forest accessible to all as a place to play and enjoy the natural environment, nature can help a city that is still healing from catastrophic emotional wounds. Planting fruit and nut trees that can feed the community, along with trees of great aesthetic value such as live oak and cypress, would support that mission.
Planting fruit trees and other harvestable trees to provide food for the public might also counteract opposition from those who argue that scarce funds should not be spent on trees when so many residents remain in need. Forest areas can provide safe spaces for residents to improve their health through exercise and can serve as democratic spaces that bring people together in recreational activities.
"Pest control, disease, and ecological upkeep"
"Funding and public support in a poor city"
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