With the recent heat across the Midpeninsula, it’s important to protect a critical piece of green infrastructure: our trees. 

By casting shade and releasing water through their leaves, trees significantly cool our cities and buildings. Shade trees provide immediate relief for people working, playing, or exercising outside. Trees help filter harmful air particulates, which worsen during the summer, and increase water storage capacity in soils.

Join Canopy in protecting our urban forest and safeguarding our water resources by following these water-wise tree care tips. Let’s keep our trees and communities safe and healthy!

Power of People:

2024 Tree Awards & Volunteer Party

Saturday, September 21st, 2024

3:00 – 5:00 PM

Bloomhouse, 2555 Pulgas Ave, East Palo Alto

On September 21, please join us in celebrating the Power of People at our annual Tree Awards and Volunteer Party! At this free community celebration, we will honor our 2024 Canopy Tree Awardees and the volunteers, partners, and supporters who help grow healthy trees and healthy communities. Hosted at the Bloomhouse in East Palo Alto, festivities will include indoor/outdoor mingling and games, refreshments, interactive displays, and a brief program toasting our 2024 Awardees and their contributions. RSVP for the 2024 Tree Awards and learn more about the event here.

Looking for another way to enjoy the trees in your community? Join one of these Canopy events!

Sat. 8/10: The Great Oak Count Survey Event

Sat. 8/17: Young Tree Care Survey Wrap-Up Blitz

Sat. 9/28: Tree Walk: Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo (Register)

Canopy welcomed two new board members this month and elected new officers as we continue our work to green communities and bring the life-saving benefits of trees where they’re most needed. Please join me in congratulating these dedicated members of our community for their time and commitment to our mission. Canopy is fortunate to benefit from their expertise, experience and passion for the communities we partner with.

On behalf of Canopy’s staff, I want to thank Holly Pearson, Sally O’Neil, and Jonathan Herbach for staying in their leadership roles for another year, and Mary Dateo for accepting the role of board secretary. Their steadfast commitment to Canopy’s success, especially during this past year of transition, has been invaluable to our ability to continue delivering on our mission. That executive team will be further strengthened by the addition of Uriel Hernandez as Canopy’s board co-chair. 

Born and raised in East Palo Alto, an alumnus of Ravenswood City School District and an accomplished arborist, Uriel brings a wealth of knowledge to this new leadership role. By no means, however, is he a newcomer to Canopy. Uriel joined first as a volunteer, and then as a staff member working in East Palo Alto before transitioning onto the board. He is a critical voice in our work addressing the green gap that exists in East Palo Alto and our other Branching Out Communities, where there is a severe and unjust lack of trees. I look forward to working closely with him to continue addressing the needs of our communities. 

Canopy also welcomed two new board members this month, and we are grateful to them for their service. Gordon Clark and Jeff Schmidt will add significant expertise to an already accomplished board. Combined, they will add to our ability to secure deeper partnerships in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. 

Please join me in welcoming them to their new leadership roles and thanking them for their commitment to our vision. It is thanks to this committed group of volunteer leaders that Canopy is able to work every day toward growing our urban canopy for the benefit of all. 

Read Canopy Board Members bios here.

Jean-Paul Renaud

Executive Director

This summer, Canopy is thrilled to welcome 9 new “Canopeople” to our movement to foster healthy, resilient communities through the power of trees. Say "hello" when you see them in the field!

Read more about our new interns and returning Teen Urban Foresters on Canopy's staff page.

Angel Estrada

(he/him)

Teen Urban Forester

Pedro Delgado

(he/him)

Teen Urban Forester

Isaac Gonzalez

(he/him)

Teen Urban Forester

Cristian Jimenez

(he/him)

Teen Urban Forester

Jeremy Lopez

(he/him)

Teen Urban Forester

Adrian Maciel

(he/him)

TUF Alumni Intern

Brene Pita (she/her)

Tree Survey & Data Analysis Intern

Ricky Recinos

(he/him)

Teen Urban Forester

Eddie Whiteside

(he/him)

Teen Urban Forester

Are you passionate about trees, equity, and access to urban nature? 

Consider joining the Canopy Team as the full-time Tree Care Coordinator! Under the direction of the Tree Programs Manager, the Tree Care Coordinator will perform regular tree care activities and support tree planting and stewardship workdays throughout the year. This full-time position is an excellent opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of urban forestry, to work collaboratively with others, and to affect positive change in our communities and the environment.

Mountain View | May 31, 2024 - Canopy staff, planting leaders, and volunteers from Google planted citrus trees, herbs, shade trees, and small landscaping plants at the LifeMoves Mountain View interim housing site. Canopy and LifeMoves hope this addition of green space will support the well-being and resilience of LifeMoves clients by reducing extreme heat, mitigating air pollution, providing edible plants, and enhancing the sense of community. Canopy wishes to thank Board Member Mary Dateo for thoughtfully selecting the plant species and coordinating the implementation of the potted plants. We also wish to thank the Santa Clara County Department of Public Health for supporting this greening and resilience project.

Mountain View | June 1, 2024 - With the help of planting leaders, volunteers from YMSL Alpine, and community members, Canopy planted 16 trees at 8 sites across Mountain View!

Yosemite National Park | June 13-16, 2024 - About 190 miles away from East Palo Alto, our Spring 2024 Teen Urban Forester (TUF) Cohort had the opportunity to volunteer and camp in Yosemite National Park. During the four-day, three-night camping trip, our TUFs engaged in many team-building activities, reflected on their experiences, and enjoyed delicious meals together as a family. The TUFs collaborated with Yosemite to assist in their conifer removal initiatives to prepare for prescribed burns, prevent the destruction of structures caused by fires, maintain healthy meadows, protect the well-being of keystone species, and preserve historic viewsheds. Canopy wishes to thank Bay Area Wilderness Training for providing the equipment free of cost and Yosemite National Park for hosting the TUFs!

East Palo Alto | June 27, 2024 - Chan Zuckerberg Initiative team members volunteered with Canopy in June to take care of dozens of oak trees at San Francisco Creek, mulching, watering and pruning these saplings that will one day grow and help cool this neighborhood of East Palo Alto. 

East Palo Alto | July 11, 2024 - Canopy staff and TUFs canvassed in East Palo Alto to survey the City’s fruit trees and talk to residents about the benefits of neighborhood trees. Our TUFs filled out about 20 sheets worth of field notes and distributed 500 flyers to get more trees planted in EPA!

Palo Alto | July 13, 2024 - The summer weather cooled down just in time for our walk in Palo Alto’s Edible Urban Forest! Arborist Jennifer Tso, food sustainability advocates Peter Ruddock and Kris Jensen, and nutritionist Lisa Herndon guided our walk from Johnson Park to Gamble Garden. Along the way, we learned about Palo Alto’s edible trees, urban foraging policy, yummy plant-based recipes, and tree care tips. Canopy wishes to thank Jennifer, Peter, Kris, and Lisa for a fun community tree walk!

Celebrating Disability Pride Month is a crucial opportunity to highlight the intersection of disability and access to nature. It's a time to recognize and advocate for the importance of providing inclusive and accessible outdoor experiences for people of all abilities, ensuring that everyone feels included and valued. Canopy is dedicated to this mission by organizing tree-planting events where everyone can participate, helping to create greener communities and fostering a sense of belonging and shared purpose for all.

Celebrando el Mes del Orgullo de la Discapacidad es una oportunidad crucial para resaltar la intersección entre la discapacidad y el acceso a la naturaleza. Es un momento para reconocer y defender la importancia de brindar experiencias al aire libre inclusivas y accesibles para personas de todas las capacidades, asegurando que todos se sientan incluidos y valorados. Canopy se dedica a esta misión organizando eventos de plantación de árboles en los que todos pueden participar, ayudando a crear comunidades más ecológicas y fomentando un sentido de pertenencia y un propósito compartido para todos.

Check out these accessible trails and disability justice organizations:

Peninsula Open Space Trust: Wheelchair Accessible Trails

Midpen: Easy Access Opportunities (Trails)

11 Disability-Led Organizations to Follow This Disability Pride Month

Jay Gray 

in memory of Dorothy Gray

Stephen Meffert

in honor of Bill Meffert

Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Sand Hill Foundation

Lockheed Martin 

California Library Services and Technology Act Sustainable Libraries Grant

Palo Alto Community Fund

Atkinson Foundation

Peninsula Clean Energy

Sponsors:

Canopy's mission is to grow the urban forest in Midpeninsula communities for the benefit of all.



Our vision is a day when every resident of the Midpeninsula can step outside to walk, play, and thrive under the shade of healthy trees.