According to a copy of the site survey provided by the architect, the deveopers' project, if built as planned, would require the wholesale destruction of 114 large mature trees with a trunk diameter of 10 inches or more. In fact, 25 of the threatened trees have a trunk diameter of 24 inches or larger. All but 10 trees lie within land zoned R-4 (single family residential) in the far northwest corner of Morningside. The photograph above (taken this afternoon) is of a group of trees the developer wants to bulldoze.
Please keep in mind that these trees are large, mature trees; over 100 feet high in many cases. They form an important urban forest inside the Morningside neighborhood and are a crucial buffer between the commercial activity, noise and pollution of Piedmont Road and the single-family homes of Morningside. In addition to these larger trees, there are dozens more with a trunk diameter of less than 10 inches.
What would you rather have, an urban forest or a 125' by 450' five story high concrete parking garage? Birds, squirrels and chipmunks or exhaust fumes, car alarms and sqealing rubber?
The results of the tree survey are as follows, with the first column listing the trunk diameter at breast height and the second column listing the number of trees of that dimension. About 80% of these trees are oaks and other hardwoods, and 20% pine and poplar.
Size Quantity
10" ---- 13
11 ---- 11
12 ----- 8
13 ----- 6
14 ----- 3
15 ----- 2
16 ---- 11
17 ----- 7
18 ----- 2
19 ----- 5
20 ---- 12
21 ----- 3
22 ----- 4
23 ----- 2
24 ----- 2
25 ----- 1
26 ----- 4
27 ----- 2
28 ----- 2
29 ----- 1
30 ----- 4
31 ----- 1
32 ----- 1
33 ----- 1
34 ----- 2
36 ----- 1
37 ----- 1
39 ----- 1
40 ----- 1
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