According to the Charlotte Business Journal, Charlotte currently has a plan in motion to plant 15,000 trees every year to reach a tree-canopy goal of 50% coverage by 2050. The 15,000 annual trees are in addition to the 10,000 already planted every year by the city and volunteers.
TreesCharlotte, a public-private partnership, is working on achieving that tree-canopy goal. Even though in 2008, an American Forests survey showed Charlotte already had 46% coverage, TreeCharlotte is attempting to get that percentage up much higher, because the trees in Charlotte is an amazing asset for the city. Trees are extremely beneficial to the community, because they improve air quality, cool urban areas, reduce noise and conserve energy. TreesCharlotte is trying to increase those benefits and reach their tree-canopy goal by partnering with neighborhood groups and communities across Charlotte. This program is called NeighborWoods, which is “designed to replenish and sustain tree canopy, while offering instruction on proper tree care and maintenance”.
A NeighborWoods project gets the community involved, where residents plant trees on their own properties, while also helping their neighbors. TreesCharlotte provides volunteers to help with the events and they take care of organizing them as well. They also provide the planting designs, trees, mulch, all tools and tree experts to help with the planting and maintenance.
These NeighborWoods projects can’t happen without sufficient interest from the community, and TreesCharlotte will typically try to work in areas that want to plant at least 100 trees. Now is the time to get your own neighborhood involved and join a city-wide movement to make our city a healthier place.