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.
(Salt Lake City, UT) TreeUtah’s NeighborWoods-supported MetroGreening Program promotes tree planting in a tender water climate by involving a broad spectrum of Metro Area developers, corporations, civic leaders, neighborhood organizations and residents in waterwise planting and education projects.
(Des Moines, IA) Trees Forever’s NeighborWoods-supported Union Park project is a plan to plant 357 new trees to reforest the park and its surrounding Des Moines neighborhoods. The location was chosen in collaboration with the mayor, city arborist, and neighborhood association, and meets the goals outlined in the city’s Park Reforestation Plan.
(Columbus, GA) Trees Columbus’ NeighborWoods-supported East Wynnton Park project is restore the declining tree canopy in the East Wynnton Park area, and thereby use this neighborhood as a model for other the rest of the city.
(Atlanta, GA) Trees Atlanta’s NeighborWoods program inspires, motivates, and educates local residents to address the management, care, planting and protection of trees in their own neighborhoods. This program brings communities together to work toward common goals of revitalizing their neighborhoods to have a greener, healthier urban environment.
(Los Angeles, CA) TreePeople’s NeighborWoods-supported Palms Restoration Project empowers neighborhood residents to plant trees and work together in making their city streets greener, safer, and healthier. Together, these actions support stronger, more sustainable neighborhoods and revitalize communities. By creating tree-lined streets in the urban-dense residential neighborhood of Palms, in West Los Angeles, it is hoped to induce cars to drive more slowly and safely, creating a more secure neighborhood for local schoolchildren, while creating a cleaner environment, adding value to real estate, enhancing social interactions, and even reducing crime rates by up to 50%.
(Albuquerque, NM) Tree New Mexico’s NeighborWoods-supported Pockets of Poverty program broke through the budgetary constraint that new trees can pose low-income communities, by providing free trees and planting them in conjunction with residents of the South Broadway Neighborhood, one of Albuquerque’s thirteen Empowerment Zones and Federally designated “Pockets of Poverty.”
(Denver, CO) The Park People’s NeighborWoods-supported Denver Digs Trees program subsidizes the distribution and planting over 2,000 mature trees throughout Denver, with free trees going to residents in low-income communities.
(Shreveport, LA) Shreveport Green’s NeighborWoods-supported Street Tree and City Parks Projects are a collaboration of neighbors and public officials dedicated to reforesting city greenspaces. Through service learning experiences, Shreveport Green is creating a corps of engaged youth and adults to advocate and educate at the community level. These citizens will become tree stewards who can continue to spread the word on the benefits of trees.
(Sacramento, CA) Sacramento Tree Foundation’s NeighborWoods program engages approximately 3,000 participates annually.
(Milwaukee, WI) The goal of Greening Milwaukee’s NeighborWoods-supported Adopt A Tree Program is to increase canopy coverage to 40%.