CityShade Tree Planting and Education Program https://grants.dudleytdoughertyfoundation.org/proposals-2014/cityshade-tree-planting-and-education-program https://grants.dudleytdoughertyfoundation.org/@@site-logo/sitelogo-75x75.png

CityShade Tree Planting and Education Program

Additional Information
Used for	For more than two decades, TreeFolks’ CityShade program has partnered with local municipal agencies to coordinate opportunities for citizens to participate in public tree planting events to improve their community. Today, our services have expanded to meet the growing needs of the community in times of drought and urban development. Our primary goals for the CityShade program are to provide urban forestry education to the community, engage volunteers in public tree planting events and facilitate ongoing tree care opportunities for local parks, preserves and right of ways.
Benefits	The Texas A&M Forest Services estimates over 5.6 million trees found along urban streets, neighborhoods and parks couldn’t survive the impact of the 2011 drought. The dramatic tree loss and increased threat to the health of Central Texas urban forests emphasizes the importance of why new trees should be planted each year and why existing trees need proactive management. Support from the Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation will increase the value and sense of ownership individuals place on their urban forest and provide direct care to our public trees to sustain this precious resource.
Proposal Description	ADDRESSING A COMMUNITY NEED With the devastating and record-breaking drought that hit Texas in 2011, the stability and growth of our urban forest has been dramatically impacted. The Texas A&M Forest Services estimates over 5.6 million trees found along urban streets, neighborhoods and parks couldn’t survive the impact of the 2011 drought. Accelerated land development, harsh environments caused by climate change, increased public use and aging tree populations are threatening the remaining urban tree canopy in Central Texas. Trees and green spaces are essential elements of every community. These elements play an important role in our health and vitality by enhancing the quality of life for local residents. A few benefits include: mitigating the urban heat island effect, enhancing our water quality, reducing energy usage, and providing habitat for urban wildlife. Shaded streets and sidewalks also increase the rate of alternative transportation, and shaded neighborhoods have been shown to reduce crime rates . The dramatic tree loss and increased threat to the health of Central Texas urban forests emphasizes the importance of why new trees should be planted each year and why existing trees need proactive management. And with a community the size of ours, citizen engagement is critical to the process of restoring and expanding our urban forests. SCOPE OF WORK For more than two decades, TreeFolks’ CityShade program has partnered with local municipal agencies to coordinate opportunities for citizens to participate in public tree planting events to improve their community. The literally hundreds of volunteers recruited annually and the support from local community groups enable TreeFolks and our land management partners to maximize limited resources. However, there is a need to increase the value and sense of ownership individuals place on their urban forest and to increase the level of direct care to sustain our urban forest resource. Today, our services have expanded to meet the growing needs of the community in times of drought and urban development. Our primary goals for the CityShade program are to provide urban forestry education to the community, engage volunteers in public tree planting events and facilitate ongoing tree care opportunities for local parks, preserves and right of ways. Urban Forestry Education While it is common knowledge that trees are good and beneficial, the public is generally unaware of the wide array of ecosystem services that trees provide and lack the knowledge to properly care for the trees they have. CityShade provides educational classes and workshops to learn about various urban forestry topics. A few examples of these topics include the benefits of urban trees, tree identification, proper tree selection and planting, and tree pruning. Education empowers citizens, and CityShade helps community members learn proper tree planting and care while applying these techniques to improve public land. In addition, knowledge gained from public education and outreach may also be applied to participants’ private properties, where nearly 80 percent of the urban forest canopy is found. Volunteer Tree Planting Events TreeFolks has coordinated tree planting events in Central Texas for the past 25 years. Each fall, we partner with municipal agencies to coordinate tree planting events in public parks and right of ways. These events are an excellent opportunity for volunteers of all ages to get involved with the public spaces in their community and learn the many benefits of proper tree planting. In the 2013-2014 planting season, TreeFolks recruited 600 volunteers who donated 1,700 hours to plant 6,300 trees on public land. This is the equivalent to $40,000 of in-kind volunteer labor! While our land management partners typically plan the location, purchase trees and install irrigation, TreeFolks supports our partners by providing volunteers, trained volunteer supervisors, publicity, marketing and logistical planning support. Since the CityShade Program’s inception, TreeFolks has successfully partnered with local land management agencies to plant more than 200,000 trees on public land within Central Texas. Tree maintenance and care In addition to providing education and planting support with volunteers, TreeFolks is expanding the program to coordinate tree care and maintenance events for newly planted trees. A few examples of volunteer tree care events include mulching, root collar clearing and pruning events. Mulch provides significant benefits to newly planted and existing trees including decreased soil temperature and increased soil moisture and stem growth. These tree maintenance and care events are excellent opportunities to educate community members and keep volunteers engaged in the summer, a time when tree planting is not recommended in Central Texas. Program Evaluation and Metrics The hundreds of volunteers recruited annually to plant and care for new trees enable TreeFolks and our land management partners to maximize resources and our environmental impact on the community. They also provide fun, meaningful tree-related experiences for the public. The success of TreeFolks’ CityShade program will depend on the ability to meet our three primary goals for local parks, preserves and right of ways: 1. Provide urban forestry education to the community 2. Engage volunteers in public tree planting events 3. Facilitate ongoing tree care opportunities TreeFolks is currently meeting with the City of Austin’s Urban Forestry and Watershed programs to plan each planting location and date. There are approximately 15 tentative tree planting events in Travis County scheduled for the 2014-2015 planting season. Each site has unique parameters by which we will measure success. In general, indicators of success include: • Number of educational classes and workshops • Number of tree planting events • Number of tree maintenance and care events • Number of trees planted • Number of volunteers recruited • In-kind value of volunteer labor contributions • Number of trees mulched, pruned or cleared around the root collar • Number of trees surviving their first year PROGRAM PARTNERS TreeFolks has successfully partnered with the City of Austin, Bastrop County, Travis County, Texas A&M Forest Service and local school groups by planting over 200,000 trees in communities throughout Central Texas. A few of these projects include: sapling restoration projects in Austin preserves; peach tree plantings at Zilker Park through the “Be A Peach” campaign; Bald Cypress plantings along the Pedernales River at Reimer’s Ranch; and fruit and nut tree orchards at schools throughout Austin. TreeFolks staff works closely with our volunteer Program Committee, which provides volunteer site coordinators and planning assistance for tree planting and care events. The Program Committee is a consortium of experienced TreeFolks volunteers, City of Austin’s Urban Forestry Program staff, and arboriculture professionals who meet once a month during the planting season to coordinate planting events. On behalf of our TreeFolks’ clients, Board of Directors and staff, thank you for your previous grant award to our NeighborWoods street tree Program. Your gift directly impacted program participants and helped provide residents with opportunities to plant and learn about Central Texas trees. At this time, we respectfully ask for your continued partnership to provide general operating support for our CityShade Program through a grant of $7,500, which will provide desperately needed aid in planting and education services for public land in Central Texas.