Susan Patterson is Knight Foundation's program director in Charlotte.

Reading the Gallup study results for Charlotte, I was not surprised that the area’s physical beauty is one of the reasons people are so attached to this place. Whenever I fly in and see the green carpet below, I instinctively sigh in contentment.

I fear, however, that we’re taking our tree canopy for granted. Twenty years ago, Hurricane Hugo did a serious pruning job on many of the oaks in our oldest neighborhoods. Now, drought, old age and development pressures are taking their toll as well, and the city’s tree-planting efforts can’t keep up.

I can’t imagine Charlotte without towering oaks arching over streets and backyards, but it takes years to grow them. We need to be planting trees now so we don’t lose the beauty that fuels our passion for this place. Just imagine what would happen if we all decided to plant a tree today. We’d be green today and tomorrow.