Miami residents rally in effort to prevent developers from removing city trees

Dressed in green and gathered beneath the shade of trees, Miami residents rallied against tree removals in the city, urging leaders to halt cutting permits they say are worsening both climate challenges and the affordability crisis.

"Stop the chop," demonstrators chanted during the rally, calling on the City of Miami to implement a moratorium on tree cutting.

"We all know Miami is in an affordability crisis. If you live here, you've seen it, you know what I mean," said Jocelyn Mahone, communications director for The Cleo Institute. "Unfortunately, we have people who think that cutting trees to build more is the answer."

According to Miami Canopy Watch, there are 223 tree permits currently moving through the city's permitting system. More than 100 of those permits involve tree removal.

Residents and environmental advocates argue Miami's tree canopy plays a critical role in lowering costs for families while helping communities withstand rising temperatures and flooding.

"Miami's trees save people money by keeping them cooler, by reducing the cost to air condition your home," Mahone said. "Miami's trees reduce families' health costs, they reduce childhood asthma, they reduce the heat that could lead to preterm births."

The concerns extend beyond downtown Miami and into neighborhoods like Coconut Grove, where some residents say trees with medicinal, nutritional and cultural value have disappeared.

"We used to go around the Grove and we could wild harvest nutritious foods," said Coconut Grove resident Amie Hertzedig.

Hertzedig said she has watched trees once used for food, medicine and fragrance be removed and replaced by development.

"We could be in a food security crisis at some point, and we'll wish we had those trees and there were enough trees to feed everybody in Miami," she said. "I've watched them disappear and be replaced by concrete."

Last month, the City of Miami told CBS News Miami it remains committed to protecting the urban tree canopy while continuing to improve the permitting process for residents and stakeholders.

Advocates say the issue goes beyond aesthetics, arguing trees also help manage flooding by absorbing stormwater.

"Miami's trees — their root systems allow for infiltration of flood water, reducing the costs that come from flooding streets, flooding homes, flooding cars," Mahone said.

Residents say upcoming meetings with the Climate Resilience Committee and the Historic and Environmental Preservation Board will offer additional opportunities for public input. They are encouraging community members to attend and make their voices heard.

CBS News Miami reached out to the City of Miami for a response to Sunday's rally but had not heard back.