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Target 11: Trees
Increase Tree Coverage toward 30 percent in All Neighborhoods by 2025
Trees bring a multitude of benefits ranging from decreased air pollution, stormwater runoff, and extreme temperature days to increased property values, carbon sequestration, and quality of life. Many of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods lack adequate tree cover. GreenPlan, the City’s draft open space strategy, calls for Philadelphia’s tree canopy to increase to 30 percent in every neighborhood by 2025. Greenworks Philadelphia’s supporting target is thus 300,000 trees planted by 2015. To achieve this ambitious goal the City will have to increase its own activities and work with partners such as the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, seeking new spaces in which to plant trees such as vacant lots and school yards. In addition, all of Philadelphia’s citizens will be called upon to embrace this goal and plant and care for trees in their streets and yards.
Trees bring a multitude of benefits ranging from decreased air pollution, stormwater runoff, and extreme temperature days to increased property values, carbon sequestration, and quality of life. Many of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods lack adequate tree cover. GreenPlan, the City’s draft open space strategy, calls for Philadelphia’s tree canopy to increase to 30 percent in every neighborhood by 2025. Greenworks Philadelphia’s supporting target is thus 300,000 trees planted by 2015. To achieve this ambitious goal the City will have to increase its own activities and work with partners such as the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, seeking new spaces in which to plant trees such as vacant lots and school yards. In addition, all of Philadelphia’s citizens will be called upon to embrace this goal and plant and care for trees in their streets and yards.
Source: GreenPlan, City of Philadelphia's Open Space Plan (click on the images above for larger versions)
Launch Local Carbon Offset Market
Working with the U.S. Forest Service, the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability is developing an on-line tool to enable Philadelphia residents and business owners to calculate their carbon footprints. Users of the carbon calculator, which will be called Erase Your Trace, can then choose to offset their environmental footprints by donating funds to the Fairmount Park Conservancy for local tree planting work.
Working with the U.S. Forest Service, the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability is developing an on-line tool to enable Philadelphia residents and business owners to calculate their carbon footprints. Users of the carbon calculator, which will be called Erase Your Trace, can then choose to offset their environmental footprints by donating funds to the Fairmount Park Conservancy for local tree planting work.
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Public Tree Planting Campaign
Greenworks Philadelphia recommends that Philadelphia build upon the tremendous contributions already being made by organizations such as the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and UC Green to develop a large-scale public tree planting campaign. The effort would rely upon nonprofits, corporations, individuals and community organizations, as well as Fairmount Park and other departments, and use technology to harness the power of those groups. One model for Philadelphia’s effort is New York City’s MillionTrees initiative, which planted 114,000 trees in its first year, including 15,000 in one weekend alone in November 2008. The MillionTrees web site enables residents and businesses to “register” their own tree planting activities, so that all trees planted in New York are counted towards the million trees goal.
Greenworks Philadelphia recommends that Philadelphia build upon the tremendous contributions already being made by organizations such as the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and UC Green to develop a large-scale public tree planting campaign. The effort would rely upon nonprofits, corporations, individuals and community organizations, as well as Fairmount Park and other departments, and use technology to harness the power of those groups. One model for Philadelphia’s effort is New York City’s MillionTrees initiative, which planted 114,000 trees in its first year, including 15,000 in one weekend alone in November 2008. The MillionTrees web site enables residents and businesses to “register” their own tree planting activities, so that all trees planted in New York are counted towards the million trees goal.
In Philadelphia, an online clearing house could allow users to donate funds to many local organizations; request to have a tree planted; discover when volunteer-led plantings will occur; register for the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Tree Tenders (volunteers who plant and maintain trees) classes; learn about caring for trees and register their own newly planted trees. The project would seek to plant trees everywhere— in parks, watersheds, street medians, schools, libraries and recreation centers. A great example of what is possible can be found in the Home Depot Foundation’s generous $1 million donation for tree planting efforts in Lower North Philadelphia. This work will be carried out by PHS and Association Puertorriquenos en Marcha.
Photo: Peter Tobia
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Launch Local Carbon Offset Market
Working with the U.S. Forest Service, the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability is developing an on-line tool to enable Philadelphia residents and business owners to calculate their carbon footprints. Users of the carbon calculator, which will be called Erase Your Trace, can then choose to offset their environmental footprints by donating funds to the Fairmount Park Conservancy for local tree planting work.
Working with the U.S. Forest Service, the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability is developing an on-line tool to enable Philadelphia residents and business owners to calculate their carbon footprints. Users of the carbon calculator, which will be called Erase Your Trace, can then choose to offset their environmental footprints by donating funds to the Fairmount Park Conservancy for local tree planting work.
BACK TO TOP