ACTrees is pleased to highlight “success stories” and best practices for organizations and others involved in tree planting, urban forestry, and other greening activities. Use the innovative ideas and approaches to successful urban greening programs found in these models to replicate in your own community.
For a full list of “Greening Success Stories,” visit the Success Stories Archive.
(New York, NY)- The New York Restoration Project (NYRP) operates an extensive corporate volunteer program that tailors volunteer opportunities to meet the needs of corporations, who in turn make a financial contribution of between $30 to $100 per volunteer. In 2007, this program will include over 50 projects, involve more than 1,500 volunteers and earn approximately $200,000.
(Atlanta, GA)- Trees Atlanta offers holiday, memorial and honorarium cards to help support its extensive tree planting program. Cards, which require a minimum contribution of $25, tell recipients that a tree will be planted in their honor. The trees planted under this program are not specifically recognized with markers or otherwise identified.
(Indianapolis, IN)- Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. (KIB) has forged 30 years of partnerships to unite Indianapolis’ neighborhoods, public sectors, philanthropists and local business in ongoing efforts to beautify the city, improve the environment and build community pride.
(San Francisco, CA)- Friends of the Urban Forest (FUF), in conjunction with three other local nonprofits, operates a youth program that takes care of 1,500 trees and assists in the planting of 200 trees each year. Youth employees, aged 14–17, earn a living wage and develop marketable job skills while improving San Francisco’s urban environment.
(Cold Brook, New York) The New York State Urban and Community Forestry Council, working in conjunction with environmental nonprofit groups, secured $500,000 in state funding for urban forestry in both 2005 and 2006.
(Baltimore, Maryland) The Watershed 263 project (WS263) comprises a long-term effort to utilize urban forestry to improve water quality, revitalize inner-city neighborhoods and enhance quality of life in these communities.
(Norwalk, Connecticut) The Urban Forest Improvement Project represents the comprehensive coordination of multiple tree-related projects in the City of Norwalk, Connecticut.
(Portland, OR) Neighborhood Trees (NT) is a key program of Friends of Trees (FOT) in Portland, Oregon.
(Davenport, Iowa) The City of Davenport conducted a tree inventory in the early 1980s and found it was in decline, largely due to disease and neglect.
(Philadelphia, PA) UC Green’s NeighborWoods-supported University City/West Philadelphia Canopy Restoration Project is designed to address the problem of tree canopy cover and the related environmental, social, economic, and health problems that have been linked to a limited tree canopy. The three sub-projects are strategically placed in parts of the neighborhood with less then 10% tree canopy coverage.