Tree planting updates, Community events, and more

Webinar Recording & Resources

Thanks to everyone who joined our latest webinar, “Save the Trees Please: Best Practices for Development Plan Review”! If you missed it, you can watch the recording and review resources from speaker Dave Dockter and Alison Hicks on the webinar webpage. We will be back in spring with more webinars. Please stay tuned!

View webinar resources

Planting Season Updates

Thank you to the residents, planting leaders, and partners who joined recent socially-distanced tree plantings! We’re grateful to continue this fieldwork as we adhere to robust safety protocols. Our planting teams are small, but they still make a big impact as they green local neighborhoods. Here are two recent highlights:

North Fair Oaks Neighborhood Planting with Redwood City PAL:

Thanks to a State Cal Fire grant to plant trees in more Midpeninsula communities, Canopy kicked off our first fall planting in North Fair Oaks and planted 11 neighborhood trees in partnership with Redwood City PAL (Police Activities League). This planting was canceled in the spring due to COVID-19 and residents patiently waited for their trees until September. Canopy’s partnership with Redwood City PAL was invaluable in connecting with community members and we are looking forward to the next planting!

Schembri and Beech Neighborhood Planting: Canopy’s first fall neighborhood planting in East Palo Alto took place in the Schembri and Beech neighborhoods, where we planted 12 trees. We have changed our planting model to allow for social distancing, but it was a great day with Teen Urban Foresters, Planting Leaders, and Community Forestry School students.

Are you interested in volunteering as a planting leader? Email Indira or subscribe to Canopy’s Volunteer Wire to stay updated.

Visit A Community Wishing Tree

Many countries around the world share the tradition of wishing trees. While each culture has its own nuances, the essence remains the same: people come to the trees to write down their wishes and attach them to the trees as physical manifestations of their hopes for themselves and their community.

From September 15 to November 2, East Palo Alto and Palo Alto are hosting wishing trees at 7 local sites. Along with the cities themselves, many partners have come together for this project. With only a few days left, we invite all community members to come to the trees and share their wishes. Each of the wishing trees has materials for you to write your wishes on.

You can also share your wishes on the Community Wishing Trees Facebook Group or by using the hashtag #CommunityWishingTrees. Find a map of the locations and more information at canopy.org/wishing-trees .

Visit a Wishing Tree

Arbor Week Poster Contest for Kids!

“Trees Invite me Outside”

Calling all budding artists aged 5-12 years! Here's a chance to share and win!

California Arbor Week is an annual celebration of trees that falls from March 7 to 14. Each year, California ReLeaf hosts a poster contest to celebrate, announcing the winner in time for Arbor Week. Any California youth aged 5-12 years can participate in this contest by submitting a poster and sharing their love and knowledge of trees in a piece of art. The 2021 poster contest theme is Trees Invite Me Outside. Learn more from California ReLeaf. Submissions are due February 5, 2021.

Poster contest details

Equity in the Outdoors

You can probably name many benefits of planting trees— they fight climate change, improve air quality, and nurture residents’ health and wellbeing. But did you know that planting trees can also advance equity?

In the words of Jad Daley, President, and CEO of American Forests, “It’s not just about more trees in cities. If you show me a map of tree cover in any city, you’re showing me a map of race and income levels. We see this as nothing less than a moral imperative.”

Read more from CityLab: Can Planting Trees Make a City More Equitable?

From the Blog: Meet the Board

Introducing our new Board member - Maria Chai

Since graduating from Canopy’s Community Forestry School last fall, Maria Chai has been diving into Canopy’s mission with both feet. In addition to her volunteer roles, Maria is now taking on a leadership role as a member of Canopy’s Board of Directors. Her enthusiasm and know-how are a wonderful resource for the whole Canopy team! We asked her a few questions to get to know her better. Read on to learn more about Maria.

Thank you to artist Kathyrn Beals

A heartfelt “thank you!” to artist Kathryn Beals for supporting Canopy and helping increase access to nearby nature with her beautiful series, “Things we found in the Creek.” Kathryn’s story of cleaning up a local greenspace with her kids reminds us how both nature and art offer renewal, purpose, and peace in the midst of turbulent times.

Learn the story of this unique series, or visit Kathryn's Instagram for more artwork and inspiration.

Recent Tree Gifts & Grantors

John and Alison King

In honor of Mary King

Susan Finkle

In honor of Heidi Fairfield Berndt

Carol and Mark Sontag

In honor of Sally O’Neil

Rima Rudd

In honor of Catherine Martineau

Emily Walling

In honor of Maria Chai

Thank you to Wells Fargo Foundation for their generous grant in support of Canopy's general operations!

Tree Gifts create a lasting legacy by planting and caring for new trees and growing a vibrant urban forest for future generations. A special thank you to everyone who has given the gift of trees.

Did you miss our last TreEnews letter? Catch up here.

Do you enjoy hearing the latest news from Canopy? Help us spread the word on the work we’re doing to bring trees and nature to the Midpeninsula. Share this newsletter with a friend and invite them to join Canopy!

Support neighborhood nature

Visit us online | Canopy Tree Library | Find an Arborist | Canopy Blog

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.