Can urban forests help with environmental policy initiatives?
On July 13, 2007, Florida Governor Charlie Crist signed three executive orders addressing climate change, increasing energy efficiency, and pursuing more renewable energy sources. In February 2008, Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Urban forests can and should be made an integral component of any strategy to meet these goals. They sequester and store carbon, offsetting emissions from human activities; increase energy efficiency of homes and buildings by reducing cooling needs; and can act as a feedstock for alternative fuel production.
