Mickey Merritt of The Park People's TreeScape program estimates that a total of four to six million trees shade and cool our city. Since the early 1980s there has been little or no increase in the budget for trees. Despite this, during that time over 2.7 million trees and seedlings have been planted by government, industry, private organizations, and citizens. There is about a two-year backlog of city maintenance work. Plus, the inventory results will be vital for maintenance scheduling and budget planning.
Urban forestry is a relatively new field.
The Council meets quarterly. It provides a sounding board for ideas and an opportunity for a few tree companies and the various government and nonprofit organizations concerned with trees to find out what each group is doing. Problems our trees face Houston is fortunate. According to Cordova, our trees have few major pests, and we have enough rain to support them. Most people agree that the biggest problem is development.