Far more than an attractive neighborhood feature, mature urban tree canopy represents a historic investment in the well-being of a community. Because tree canopy requires funding, planning, and ongoing maintenance, economically disadvantaged communities — such as those in redlined neighborhoods — often lack this benefit.
With climate change ushering in record-breaking high temperatures, tree canopy is more crucial than ever to community health. A frontline defense measure for communities, trees help reduce land absorption of heat, mitigate carbon emissions, and boost overall climate resilience.
With funding from the Bezos Earth Fund, TreePeople, a Latina-led environmental justice organization, will plant and maintain at least 4,250 trees in underserved communities in LA, launch multilingual community organizing efforts to expand urban greening efforts, work to shape policy and green infrastructure support at the state and local level, and lead initiatives to inform underserved youth about career opportunities in the environmental sector.