Four Ways Philly can grow its tree canopy
Philly will get a ton of benefits if its first-ever Tree Plan succeeds. Right now, our trees store 99,000 tons of carbon dioxide each year. That number will increase as the canopy grows.
The City’s Tree Plan calls for significantly increasing our leafy coverage. So, why are our large trees continued to be chopped down?
“SAVE MY TREE!”
That’s what Nicole Fakhoury heard her two-year-old son crying and begging over the phone, over the sounds of a chainsaw.
Where are the trees we were promised?
On a recent Saturday, more than 30 volunteers gathered in Malcolm X Park to plant street trees on sidewalks in front of homes around West Philly. Despite the rain, they showed up ready to dig out tree pits, spread mulch and get around 30 trees into the ground.
“Trees are the only piece of [public] infrastructure that appreciates in value,” says Dominique London, director of the nonprofit Tree Tender group UC Green.