Urban Tree Canopy

Improving South Los Angeles Through Strategic Tree Planting
The University of Southern California Urban Trees Initiative is planting 250 trees in South L.A. neighborhoods to improve shade, combat climate change, and enhance community well-being through collaboration and data-driven approaches.

Urban Trees Are Vital in an Era of Extreme Heat
Urban trees are essential for cooling public spaces, promoting physical activity, and protecting vulnerable populations from extreme heat.

Study: Urban Trees Lose Cooling Benefits in Extreme Heat
A robust tree canopy can help reduce the urban heat island effect and lower air temperatures, but the impact is reduced as temperatures rise.

The Economic Value of Street Trees
Far from just providing shade and improving air quality, trees can also contribute to more resilient roads, lower energy costs, and reduced flood risk.

Pittsburgh Nonprofit Awarded $200K for Urban Trees
The USDA grant is focused on providing disease-resistant fruit trees to local residents.

Study: How Urban Redlining Impacts Bird Populations
A legacy of historic housing discrimination and disinvestment is having lasting effects on more than just human lives in cities.

Growing ‘Climate Ready’ Urban Trees
A New Mexico research program will assess the health of seedlings to understand which trees will be most resilient to climate risks.

Parks Departments Try to Build New Green Spaces on Shrinking Budgets
Even as the role of parks and urban green space in public and ecological health becomes more apparent, city budgets are hard-pressed to meet the costs of park construction and maintenance.

Trees Beautify Segment of Atlanta’s BeltLine
A local nonprofit planted 500 trees along a previously unimpressive segment of the bike and walking trail, creating an ‘instant forest’ effect.

How the Urban Tree Canopy Can Save Lives in a Heat Wave
New research reveals the direct link between planting more trees and a reduction in heat-related deaths.

Protecting Chicago’s Tree Canopy
Advocates for urban greening are asking the city to boost its tree planting efforts and protect existing trees, which are a key tool for fighting the effects of climate change and worsening heat waves.

How To Preserve Both Affordable Housing and Urban Trees
Housing and environmental activists are calling on the city to commit to a ‘Trees and’ approach, rejecting the perceived conflict between housing affordability and a healthy urban tree canopy.

Green Infrastructure Thinking for Southern Cities in 2022 and Beyond
Resilience planning requires communities to think of a well planned and maintained tree canopy as a public utility system with multiple benefits.

Redlined Neighborhoods Suffer More From Extreme Heat
The recent heat wave in the Pacific Northwest highlighted how historical inequities still affect the health and well-being of low-income and marginalized communities.

Research Shows Urban Trees Stave off Depression
A new study shows that regular exposure to trees and green spaces has a powerful impact on depression and mental health.

A New Study Asserts the Importance of Urban Trees in Conservation Efforts
Data collected from 13 million tree planting records in 473 urban areas across 73 countries provides insight into the role of urban trees in biodiversity conservation.

Chicago Was Already Wiping Out Trees. Then the Derecho Hit.
An Urban Forestry Board is needed in Chicago to unsure the health and safety benefits of a flourishing urban forest.

Louisville Updates its Development Code to Benefit the City's Trees
The effect of development codes can be felt in the urban tree canopies. Louisville is updating its code to stem the loss of 56,000 trees a year in the city.

Los Angeles Takes Steps to Grow Out Its Urban Forest
Los Angeles is rolling out a street tree inventory to complement other sustainability measures included in its own Green New Deal. The focus is on underserved neighborhoods.

Cleveland Launches Tree Replenishment Program
The city of Cleveland will hope to reap environmental and economic rewards by spending $1 million a year to regrow its tree canopy.
Pagination
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City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research