So, Laura, I’ll start this off with you. What role do trees play in our communities and environment? 

In this insightful interview, Bre’Anna Bivens, Strategic Communications Specialist for Commissioner Briones, speaks with arborist Laura Medick and Community Development Planner Alex DeWitt about the Alief Linear Forest project’s role in promoting biodiversity and mitigating the heat island effect in Alief. Medick and DeWitt share how this “green corridor” is designed as a lasting legacy for future generations, underscoring the importance of green spaces in building resilient communities. 

Laura Medick: I would say that the most important thing trees do is help us face the challenges that we see in urbanization, like pollution and runoff, but also the heat island effect, which makes hard surfaces and the air surrounding it much warmer. Vegetation provides shade and makes things cooler around the area. Trees also capture rain, slowing down the flow of water, which helps to mitigate erosion and storm water.  

And I think that there's an ethnobotanical value behind trees that goes beyond a biological or physical thing. I would say that we have a duty as a society, as a community, to pass along that force to share with other creatures, and to share with the future generations so they can have access to nature as well.  

BB: Making sure we prepare future generations with the infrastructure and tools now to build upon what we have done is important.  Alex, that leads into my second question. What is a linear forest?  

Alex DeWitt: It’s basically a group of trees that are planted in a path. That’s the basic answer, but really it means a lot more than that. It's a type of forestry that's usually done in cities and more urban environments where we don't have the room to spread a forest out. It allows us to kind of add a dense layer of trees in this urban setting that will have a lot of benefits.

BB:  So, Laura, back to you. Describe your work as an arborist in Precinct 4, because I don't think a lot of people know what an arborist does. 

AD: I'm just going to take this opportunity to gush on Laura, because she's a real superhero and she's very quiet about it.  

LM: Oh gosh, thank you, Alex. I describe myself more as an educational arborist. I'm involved with a lot of public engagement. I get to plant lots of trees with the public, I get to speak to schools, volunteers, and other groups to share the benefits of trees, and what types of trees they can plant. I help consult with trees as well because people want to know what tree is best to plant, and sometimes they need recommendations for problems they have with their trees.   

My favorite part is really the educational side of talking to younger people. I get to teach them what the pathway of a green career looks like and share my journey on how I got there.  

AD: This is why we love Laura. And she hasn't even told you about how she goes around the state saving endangered species. 

LM: Haha, I do with the Texas A&M Forest Service. One of the trees we preserve is the Live Oak They're the one of the oldest and biggest types of trees that we'll find in our state. We have these markers around the state of Texas highlighting these trees…they just tell stories.  

If you think about it, these trees have lived throughout many generations. They've witnessed and survived many things throughout history, and I think it's good to remember all that, even the bad parts because it teaches us not to repeat history … to learn from that and shine a light and become better people.  

BB: It means that we truly have to leave our environment in a better place than where it is now, so they won’t live in our consequences.  

So, Alex, as we're thinking about planting trees, we — us on this call — are probably not going to see them fully mature now, but our youth and future communities will. To that end, what are the benefits of a linear forest, especially for a community like Alief? 

AD: I’m going to take a page out of Laura’s book. One of my favorite sayings is ‘when is the best time to plant a tree?’ The answer is ‘yesterday’, and the second-best time to plant a tree is today.  

I'm bringing that up because ultimately the linear forest is about creating a legacy in Alief. Our hope is that the project will evolve over time to be this treasured community asset that not only benefits Alief on an aesthetic level, but also provides a much-needed benefit environmentally to the community.  

The main focus is to shade areas of concrete along the streets so that the ambient temperature doesn't stay so high after dark, because the concrete absorbs the sun and retains heat for a long time.  

The hotter it gets during the day, the longer that it radiates heat into the evening. So, if we can shade that concrete, or replace a lot with a permeable surface with roots and good soil, we can tap into those benefits, right?  

BB: Right. 

AD: We're trying to grow this urban forest to be this green corridor that matures into more of an environmentally friendly piece of the community.  

It's kind of like this great analogy: the trees need biodiversity to survive. And the Alief Linear Forest shows us that we also need a variety of voices to have a community … so we planted the Alief Linear Forest with that in mind, planting a variety of these different species so that they're stronger together.  

This project will live on past its environmental roots and will truly become this beautiful representation of Alief. That’s why it’s very special to me.  

BB: Alex, that was so wonderfully put. Laura, in terms of biodiversity, how do different growing cycles and species of trees affect the health of the community?  

LM: In the 1990s, there was a study that came out encouraging planting diverse trees through the 10/20/30. It basically says that you would not plant any more than 10 percent of a species, 20 percent of the genus, or 30 percent of a family. It ensures that you have a resilient forest that is strong enough to face diseases and pests. 

We’re also not just planting the same size of tree. We're creating layers in the Alief Linear Forest: the overstory, the midstory, and the understory, and that creates habitat, which is very important in ecology.  

BB: I love how very catered this forest is to the heart of the Alief community, and I thank both of you for sharing so much insight on this important project. Laura, last question is for you. What are some ways residents can celebrate Texas Arbor Day? 

LM: We have tree giveaways at the Fall Festival on November 9th. On November 16th, we have our Plant A Tree Seedling at Freed Park. But I think there's always something that someone can provide. No matter whatever stage of life they may find themselves, there’s always something we can do to promote tree conservation.