Urban trees and their canopy intercept rainfall, absorb and store water, reduce runoff, protect soil, filter pollutants, improve and cool air, and enhance quality of life for residents.

The Chesapeake Bay Urban Canopy Program aims to take advantage of these benefits by working with communities in the Bay watershed to assess their urban forests and adopt local goals for increasing the tree canopy.

The Borough of Columbia in Lancaster County is participating in this effort.

For more information, read the Urban Canopy Benefits Fact Sheet and the Proceedings of Urban Canopy Workshop in 2004.

8/19/2005