Perennial STreams Project Update

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Green Infrastructure Case Examples
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Many components can make up a GI strategy
Assessment of Features e.g. vegetative cover
Protection and Restoration Tools
Describing Cores, Hubs
Green Infrastructure Strategy
Desired Conditions and Opportunities
Connections via Green and Blue Corridors
Existing Constraints
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Case Studies in Green Infrastructure

• Regional
• County
• City

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Who is doing this work?

• State agencies, e.g. forestry and park
  departments
• Regional planning districts, e.g. New River
• Conservation groups, e.g. TNC and Conservation
  Fund, American Forests, Arbor Day Foundation,
  Trust for Public Lands
• Associations, e.g. International Society of
  Aboriculture American Planning Association
• Universities, e.g. VA Tech, UVA, U. of FL

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Bioregion Example Two Countries One Forest

• Appalachian/Acadian ecoregion
• Includes 80-million acres and forests spanning
  eastern edge of North America

• Spans two countries, five states and four
  provinces.
• 5.4 million people live here.
• Rare alpine vegetation, at-risk species,
  old-growth forests
• Ecoregion risks being separated into a series of
  ecological islands.

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Bioregion Example Two Countries One Forest

• 5 priority linkages
• Black River Valley (connecting Tug Hill and the
  Adirondacks in New York State),
• Lake Champlain Valley (connecting Adirondacks
  and Vermont),
• Green-Sutton Mountains (connecting Vermont and
  Quebec),
• Gaspe Peninsula-Northern Maine,
• Chignecto Isthmus (connecting New Brunswick and
  Nova Scotia).

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FL Greenways Ecological Network Project
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FL Greenways Ecological Network Project

• Results
  
• The Ecological Network includes 57 (22.8
  million acres) of states land and open water.
• Coastal waters, existing public conservation
  lands, and private preserves comprise 53 of the
  Ecological Network.
• Private lands made up 37 of the network
  proposed public conservation lands rounded out
  the networks areas .

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FL Greenways Ecological Network Project

• Next Steps and Current Status
  
  
• Development of Florida Greenways and Trails
  System based on ecological and recreational
  networks.
• 700,000 acres of land and 1,500 miles of trails
  designated as of 2004.
• Land acquisition and conservation efforts
  focused on ten critical linkages between
  important protected areas in regions with heavy
  growth pressure.
• Ongoing updating and refining of networks GIS
  model.

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Maryland Greenways, Green Infrastructure
Assessment, and GreenPrint Program
Maryland Greenways Commission, 1991 Statewide
green infrastructure assessment,
mid-1990s GreenPrint Program 2001
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Maryland Greenways, Green Infrastructure
Assessment, and GreenPrint Program

• Assessment Goals and Next Steps
• Systematically identify, protect ecologically
  important lands,
• Address problems of forest fragmentation,
  habitat degradation, and water quality,
• Maximize effectiveness of conservation
  investments,
• Promote shared responsibilities for land
  conservation between public and private sectors,
• Encourage compatible uses and land management
  practices,
• Provide coordination and targeting of mitigation
  efforts to enhance urban environments and land
  conservation goals.

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Maryland Greenways, Green Infrastructure
Assessment, and GreenPrint Program

• Results
  
• 1,762,299 acres of hubs / 262,591 acres of
  corridors (77 forest, 23
  wetlands, 1 beaches).
• 33 of total state land area, 63 of the states
  forestland, 87 of the states wetland resources,
  91 of the states streams within interior
  forests, and 99.9 of the states natural
  heritage areas.
• 26 of Marylands green infrastructure protected
  (by federal, state or local ownership or
  conservation easements).

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Florida Maryland
Ecological and recreational resources Areas of ecological importance
Stakeholders engaged in public meetings Organizations, state agencies, local govt
Reject unsuitable/cleared/ag lands, high road density ditto
Include lands most ecologically valuable and most vulnerable to development ditto
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County Example

• Prince Georges County, MD.
• Builds on state assessment findings.
• 2025 goals and objectives set.
• Additional focus on natural hazard mitigation
  (steep slopes, expanded riparian corridors).

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Charlottesville City Example

• Fall 2007 University Class Green Cities Green
  Lands
• Tree Canopy and Street Trees
• Streams and Stormwater
• Trails and Linkages
• Green Building

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Mapped forest canopy in GIS by digitizing aerial
photos.Set goals for future canopy Today 31.6
Future 40
Tree Canopy
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Trails Linkages for people and wildlife
Rivanna Trail
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• How can we link to existing trails?
• How can we create new linkages and for what
  purpose?
• As recreational amenities, trails can be offered
  as proffers.

Rivanna Trail
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Stream buffers

• Green Infrastructure also includes blueways.
  Riparian areas are critical wildlife linkages.

Meadow Creek
Moores Creek
Rivanna River
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Healthy Stream Buffer Characteristics

• Dense, native woody vegetation
• Tree canopy to keep water cool
• Stable vegetated banks
• Floodplains free of encroachment

Moores Creek
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This creek requires stream buffers note where
they are insufficient .
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• Class mapped rest of potential buffers.
• 50, 75 or 100 feet.
• Seek to not impact gt 30 existing structures.
• Look for places where easy to protect.
• City is now drafting this into an ordinance!

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• Examples of green building policies in comp plan
• Goal A Promote the achievement of a 30 percent
  reduction from current energy use by businesses
  and residences through a citywide education,
  assistance and incentive program.
•  
• Objective A1 Provide residents and businesses
  with information about energy efficiency and
  green building programs and opportunities for
  energy use reduction, such as Energy Star, Earth
  Craft and LEED through a City web site, web
  links to other programs and educational workshops
  and presentations.
• Goal B Encourage green building and resource and
  energy conservation practices in new and
  existing buildings through financial incentives.
• Objective B1 Consider opportunities for awarding
  density bonuses for those developers who commit
  to build LEED silver or better certified
  buildings.

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Site Scale Green Infrastructure

• What happens at the site scale is important too .
• GI requires an ability to scale up and down

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Monticello Example Viewsheds can be part of GI
strategy
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Restoration Strategies to Expand Green
Infrastructure
Moores creek in Charlottesville , Virginia
Before restoration
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Moores creek in Charlottesville After
Habitat and Geometry restored to natural
patterns. Wow!
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Student Project for Madison County

• Part of a larger project to develop a green
  infrastructure strategy based on Comp Plan Goals.
  
• University of Virginia Students
• Defined, assessed and mapped green assets.
• Developed proposed strategies for protecting
  assets.
• Developed tools to promote GI as new planning
  paradigm.

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The Comprehensive Plan

• Goal Maintain agriculture and forestry as the
  primary land use in the County.
•  Objective Develop a plan for providing land
  owners options for the voluntary preservation of
  farm and forest lands.
•    1. Enhance current zoning and planning
  practices which allow for and encourage the
  retention of farm and forest lands.
• Goal Protect and enhance the natural ecosystems
  and working lands that support the Countys
  quality of life and economic base
•  Objective Protect the natural resource base
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• 2. Establish a county Purchase of Development
  Rights program or Transfer of Development Rights
  program as allowed by the state legislature.
  Pursue all available state, federal and private
  funds compatible with any program developed.
• 3. Encourage adding financial incentives for
  establishing agriculture and forestall districts.
  
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• 4. Encourage economic development in the county
  that is compatible with agriculture and forestry.
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• 5. Continue the timed phasing of subdivisions of
  land such as the current 4 divisions in 10 years
  as a tool to assist keeping large tracts intact

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