The Plan for Yard Trees

ReLeaf Cedar Rapids is not just a plan for the City to plant trees. If it were, it would be missing 85 percent of the opportunity. Of the roughly 670,000 trees lost to the derecho, only about 100,000 were on city land. The remainder were private; sheltering house yards, corporate and institutional campuses, and private open spaces like cemeteries and golf courses. Growing back the private canopy is the most important part of this plan.

Like in many midsize cities, the single largest land use in Cedar Rapids is the front, back, and side yards of single-family houses. These yards are where the derecho exerted its greatest impact, and where we can stage the quickest, most impactful recovery. In the year since the storm, hundreds of residents have already replanted, many taking advantage of tree adoptions sponsored by generous donors. But most have not. This plan hopes to inspire that action and maximize its impact.

THE YARD TREE PLAN

ADOPTIONS

Trees Forever will continue and work to expand the tree adoption program, limiting its supply to Superior and Allowed yard trees on the ReLeaf Tree List.

VOLUNTEERS

Trees Forever will work to expand its TreeKeepers (and other similar) programs, teaching tree-care skills to neighborhood volunteers, with the goal of a TreeKeeper in every neighborhood.

TARGET YARDS

Trees Forever will work to expand the deployment of its TreeKeepers (and other similar) programs to plant yard trees at apartment complexes and other rental properties around the city.

THE SEEDING SOLUTION

Trees Forever will create a program that sources, packages, distributes, and promotes the private planting of native seedlings citywide.

GROUNDCOVER

ReLeaf Partners will work with local nurseries and garden centers to encourage the sale of, and education around, native groundcovers as an alternative to lawn.

BACKYARD FORESTS

Through its Backyard Forests program, Trees Forever will make a concerted effort to communicate with the owners of large properties, offering planting advice and access to native seedlings.

STORE ENDORSEMENT

ReLeaf Partners will create a ReLeaf Certification for nurseries and garden centers that meets established guidelines in promoting and selling trees from the ReLeaf Tree List.

GROWING ARBORISTS

Trees Forever will explore stronger partnerships with local colleges and universities with the goal of developing more robust coursework and greater ties between arboriculture students and the Cedar Rapids area.

The Sheltered Yard

• Evergreens planted to the north and west block winter winds

• Backyard lawn limited to an "area rug" for activities

• Maximize areas planted with native trees, shrubs and perennials that support wildlife native trees, shrubs and perennials that support wildlife

• Deciduous trees planted to the south shade homes during the warm summer months, and allow the sun's warming rays through in the winter

• Street trees absorb stormwater, shade pavements and clean the air

• Low growing native perennials planted under trees provide "soft landings" for caterpillars and help support the food web

• Native plantings replace lawn turf and eliminate the need for irrigation and chemical applications

WHY YARD TREES MATTER

The North American front yard is a strange thing. Largely absent on most other continents—where building setbacks are small or nonexistent— it serves no useful purpose and is mostly ornamental. As such, most front yards can easily receive a new tree or two without causing any inconvenience. Depending on the house’s orientation, that tree can lower summer cooling costs, winter heating costs, or both, while improving the property’s sense of privacy.

Meanwhile, the back yard is often our own private Shangri-La, a cherished location of family activity for half the year. But these too often suffer from lack of privacy when they don’t have fences or shrubs at their edges. As the summers get warmer, adding a couple of well-placed shade trees can greatly extend their use. As in the front yard, these trees can be placed to create significant energy savings.

Every yard counts, but as more and more yards become sheltered with canopy, a suburban neighborhood eventually crosses the threshold from a subdivision with trees to its conceptual inverse, houses carved out of the forest. This transformation is possible at any suburban density, and with the right tree species, it can make all the difference.