http://www.sacbee.com/livinghere/story/1902773.html
Pamela Frickmann drives down the streets of Natomas every day. On block after block, she spots old friends, putting down roots.
"I've worked this neighborhood for so long now, I can monitor how they're doing," she says. "It's amazing how fast they grow."
Frickmann works as a community forester. These leafy friends are trees, providing much-needed shade to homes.
That's particularly important in a new neighborhood like Natomas, former farmland turned sprawling subdivision.
And the most surprising aspect of this urban forest? These trees were provided free to homeowners through the Sacramento Municipal Utility District in partnership with the Sacramento Tree Foundation.
SMUD and other local utility districts and partner programs have planted nearly a half-million trees in the greater Sacramento area. About 18,000 more are added each year.
"We spend about $1.5 million annually on this program," says SMUD's Misha Sarkovich, who oversees the shade tree effort. "Since it started, SMUD has invested about $30 million on shade trees. But it's been well worth it."
SMUD estimates that the net savings in energy alone top $128 million since the program began in 1990. But trees also help clean the air and reduce stormwater runoff. A recent study pegged the total benefits during the trees' lifetime at $640 million.
That added shade has saved enough electricity to allow SMUD to skip building another power plant, Sarkovich says. Cooling and heating makes up about 60 percent of residential energy use.
Called "Sacramento Shade," the project has been so successful that Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento, has used it as a model for a proposal now before Congress to create a national shade tree/energy conservation program.
In addition to saving money on electrical bills, these city trees have other benefits. A hundred trees can remove an estimated 300 pounds of particulate air pollution and 15 tons of carbon dioxide every year. In a dozen test cities around the United States, every dollar spent on tree planting returns up to $5 in other savings.
After the decommissioning of its Rancho Seco nuclear power plant in the 1980s, SMUD pioneered shade tree planting as a way to conserve electricity.
"We didn't know if it would work," Sarkovich says. "But it made sense. Shade cools your house; you need less air conditioning. It cuts your energy use."
On average, homeowners save 40 percent on their cooling costs after three years. For example, a 30-foot tree on the west side of a house can produce a $171 annual benefit.
A lot of SMUD's customers have taken advantage of free shade trees, the best known of the district's outreach programs. SMUD services about 350,000 single-family homes. So far, about 150,000 have planted SMUD trees.
"We're reaching market saturation," Sarkovich says. "We're victims of our own success. But there's still room to plant more, particularly in newer neighborhoods."
George Anderson of Folsom got his free trees about five years ago. Two Chinese hackberries now frame his front yard, a beautiful addition to his landscape as well as a boon to the family pocketbook. He planted seven total.
"I didn't specifically calculate how much money we've saved so far, but I have seen a sizable reduction," he says. "What's really great is the house is so much cooler. Our house faces west with big windows. The sun was so intense, it was unbearable. It got really hot. Now, the trees take care of that and it's a lot more comfortable."
With about 30 different kinds of trees to choose from, the program uses only deciduous trees instead of evergreens. Otherwise, that shade – so welcome in summer – would increase heating costs in winter.
Chosen by a panel of arborists, the varieties were selected for their quick growth and easy maintenance. The trees often double in size their first year. The larger varieties can reach more than 25 feet within three to five years. The most popular pick by homeowners right now: red maples.
"They're beautiful trees with a lot of fall color," says Jacobe Caditz of the Tree Foundation. "People love them. They make up about 10 percent of what we plant. We also plant a lot of London plane, Chinese pistache and tupelo. Flowering pears have also been very popular along with crape myrtles."
Pamela Frickmann drives down the streets of Natomas every day. On block after block, she spots old friends, putting down roots.
"I've worked this neighborhood for so long now, I can monitor how they're doing," she says. "It's amazing how fast they grow."
Frickmann works as a community forester. These leafy friends are trees, providing much-needed shade to homes.
That's particularly important in a new neighborhood like Natomas, former farmland turned sprawling subdivision.
And the most surprising aspect of this urban forest? These trees were provided free to homeowners through the Sacramento Municipal Utility District in partnership with the Sacramento Tree Foundation.
SMUD and other local utility districts and partner programs have planted nearly a half-million trees in the greater Sacramento area. About 18,000 more are added each year.
"We spend about $1.5 million annually on this program," says SMUD's Misha Sarkovich, who oversees the shade tree effort. "Since it started, SMUD has invested about $30 million on shade trees. But it's been well worth it."
SMUD estimates that the net savings in energy alone top $128 million since the program began in 1990. But trees also help clean the air and reduce stormwater runoff. A recent study pegged the total benefits during the trees' lifetime at $640 million.
That added shade has saved enough electricity to allow SMUD to skip building another power plant, Sarkovich says. Cooling and heating makes up about 60 percent of residential energy use.
Called "Sacramento Shade," the project has been so successful that Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento, has used it as a model for a proposal now before Congress to create a national shade tree/energy conservation program.
In addition to saving money on electrical bills, these city trees have other benefits. A hundred trees can remove an estimated 300 pounds of particulate air pollution and 15 tons of carbon dioxide every year. In a dozen test cities around the United States, every dollar spent on tree planting returns up to $5 in other savings.
After the decommissioning of its Rancho Seco nuclear power plant in the 1980s, SMUD pioneered shade tree planting as a way to conserve electricity.
"We didn't know if it would work," Sarkovich says. "But it made sense. Shade cools your house; you need less air conditioning. It cuts your energy use."
On average, homeowners save 40 percent on their cooling costs after three years. For example, a 30-foot tree on the west side of a house can produce a $171 annual benefit.
A lot of SMUD's customers have taken advantage of free shade trees, the best known of the district's outreach programs. SMUD services about 350,000 single-family homes. So far, about 150,000 have planted SMUD trees.
"We're reaching market saturation," Sarkovich says. "We're victims of our own success. But there's still room to plant more, particularly in newer neighborhoods."
George Anderson of Folsom got his free trees about five years ago. Two Chinese hackberries now frame his front yard, a beautiful addition to his landscape as well as a boon to the family pocketbook. He planted seven total.
"I didn't specifically calculate how much money we've saved so far, but I have seen a sizable reduction," he says. "What's really great is the house is so much cooler. Our house faces west with big windows. The sun was so intense, it was unbearable. It got really hot. Now, the trees take care of that and it's a lot more comfortable."
With about 30 different kinds of trees to choose from, the program uses only deciduous trees instead of evergreens. Otherwise, that shade – so welcome in summer – would increase heating costs in winter.
Chosen by a panel of arborists, the varieties were selected for their quick growth and easy maintenance. The trees often double in size their first year. The larger varieties can reach more than 25 feet within three to five years. The most popular pick by homeowners right now: red maples.
"They're beautiful trees with a lot of fall color," says Jacobe Caditz of the Tree Foundation. "People love them. They make up about 10 percent of what we plant. We also plant a lot of London plane, Chinese pistache and tupelo. Flowering pears have also been very popular along with crape myrtles."
