DENTON — When it comes to trees, Walter Hartman is somewhat of a whiz.
"There's an amazing beauty and amazing artwork in nature, what it creates," he said.
But like many North Texans in cities experiencing rapid growth, living in Denton means Hartman has to deal with a common threat.
"You have mixed feelings about development any time you see it," he said.
If the city is going to move forward with major development projects, trees will have to be sacrificed. But as each tree goes, the city loses more of its aesthetic appeal.
And that, in turn, can affect property values by up to 10 percent, according to city leaders.
Trees also provide shade from the brutal Texas heat, and they act as noise barriers that silence traffic.
That's why the city has a plan. And it's something Hartman just found out about at a nearby Home Depot store. "They had these coupons offering rebates for planting different types of trees," he said.
The city is essentially paying citizens to plant their own trees. They are offering $50 rebates to Denton Utility customers who purchase a qualifying native or adapted tree.
The goal is to increase Denton's tree canopy by 12,000 trees over the next three years. The effort is paid for using the city's Tree Mitigation Fund.
"It probably means there's someone at the top making good decisions," Hartman said.
