Tree Cheers for CityTrees!

240 new trees will be added to Redwood City’s canopy thanks to a $90,000 TreeCovery grant to CityTrees from the California Releaf Network, funded by CalFire. CityTrees is an all volunteer-led group that plants trees, fosters an ethic of environmental stewardship, and promotes volunteer involvement in Redwood City.

The trees will be planted in partnership with the K-8 Redwood City School District at five schools and with Redwood City’s Department of Public Works in the Staumbaugh Heller, Friendly Acres and Palm Park neighborhoods. Releaf Network’s Executive Director Cindy Blain said “We awarded Redwood City’s CityTrees this grant because they have consistently demonstrated strong community engagement and will place trees where they will have the best multi-benefit impact in the community.”

Trees absorb carbon and provide shade in the summer. A dense tree canopy has a measurable effect on making air temperatures cooler. Exposure to trees has been shown to reduce stress. Since the pandemic, Redwood City residents have eagerly volunteered to plant trees when community planting events resumed. CityTrees President Filip Crngorac said, “It’s been great to resume planting at a strong pace and to see how many community members want to make Redwood City more climate resilient. We estimate that we will need over 2,000 hours of citizen’s volunteer time to plan and plant these ReLeaf grant-funded trees over the next two years. Join us!”

The California ReLeaf Network (californiareleaf.org) is a group of nonprofits working to green cities across California, from San Diego to Eureka, and includes Redwood City’s CityTrees. The TreeCovery Grant Program is funded by a grant from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), which received money in the 2018-2019 State Budget from the California Climate Investments Program to support projects that combat climate change through urban forestry and public trees.