鈥淪ay, 鈥楾rees!鈥欌�澛�
A group of 10 volunteers gathered around a freshly planted 3-foot-tall oak tree along a Mt. Hope street Saturday afternoon. After watching leaders from the Providence Neighborhood Planting Program demonstrate how to plant the oak tree, the 10 volunteers聽posed for a quick photo, grabbed worn pairs of rubber gloves and set off to plant another 13 trees.
Saturday鈥檚 tree planting, led by PNPP Executive Director Cassie Tharinger, was the first of the season. According to Tharinger, PNPP is a community-led organization engaging local residents in planting and maintaining trees on city property to create a larger and more equitable urban forest. Each season, the organization 鈥斅爐he city鈥檚 鈥渓argest force behind new tree plantings,鈥� according to Alexander J. Elton, city forester and director of Providence鈥檚 Forestry Division 鈥斅爃osts anywhere from 15 to 25 plantings.
Since its founding, PNPP has planted over 14,000 street trees 鈥� around half of the city鈥檚 27,000 street trees. The cost of each planting is split equally between the endowment and the city, Tharinger said.
When the city鈥檚 urban forest was first inventoried 15 years ago, Tharinger and other local organizations realized that low-income neighborhoods and neighborhoods of color have far fewer trees 鈥� a concept known as , which results in elevated rates and hotter in those areas.聽
鈥淭he fact that these communities have fewer trees, hotter summers, higher asthma rates and lower environmental privilege isn鈥檛 a coincidence 鈥� it鈥檚 the result of systemic disinvestment and racist policy, from 鈥榬edlining policies鈥� that denied loans to those in 鈥榟igh-risk鈥� neighborhoods to 鈥榰rban renewal鈥� projects that marked entire communities of color as 鈥榖lighted鈥� and in need of clearance,鈥� according to the released in 2022.
Two years ago, PNPP formed a coalition with other local organizations 鈥� including , and the Parks Department Forestry Division 鈥� to begin work on the . According to Jordan Schmolka, the PVD Tree Plan co-coordinator at PNPP, the PVD Tree Plan is a 鈥渃ommunity-led planning process to establish a vision and roadmap for achieving tree equity in Providence and building an urban forest that is really robust and resilient.鈥澛�
The PVD Tree Plan, tentatively set for release in June according to Elton and Schmolka, will include recommendations, goals and initiatives created by a steering committee of urban forestry professionals, members of local organizations and community representatives from low-canopy areas. The plan鈥檚 primary goal is to achieve a 鈥溾�� of at least 80 trees in every neighborhood in 10 years. Reaching that goal would require over 30,000 new trees, Elton said 鈥� a goal that will require PNPP to begin planting on private property.
Tree equity scores are calculated by American Forests鈥檚 and evaluate tree canopy, demographics, surface temperatures, income and health, among other factors. While the areas surrounding Brown have equity scores ranging from 88 to 100 鈥� with 100 representing the ideal 鈥� some neighborhoods on the city鈥檚 south side have scores in the 60s.
Since 2022, the steering committee has conducted surveys and outreach to collect opinions on Providence鈥檚 urban forest. For Dwayne Keys, the volunteer chairperson of the South Providence Neighborhood Association, South Providence鈥檚 low tree equity score was not surprising. "When this information was presented to the neighborhood, 鈥� it added to our already existing feelings and challenges of inequity on the south side,鈥� Keys said.
The plan, Schmolka said, emphasizes urban forestry in 鈥渃ommunities that have historically been excluded from experiencing the benefits of the urban forest, particularly neighborhoods of color that have been redlined and experienced decades of neglect and disinvestment.鈥�
鈥淣o matter where you live in a city, you should be able to enjoy the benefits that trees provide,鈥� Tharinger said.
Street trees offer wide-ranging benefits, according to the Tree Equity Maps Zine. In addition to reducing carbon emissions, trees provide shade and cool their surroundings. Neighborhoods in Providence with fewer trees can see temperatures of up to 20潞 F higher than their shadier counterparts, Schmolka said.聽
Higher concentrations of trees also improve , according to Elton. Trees also increase property value by making neighborhoods cooler and more pleasant, Schmolka noted.
But increases in property value aren鈥檛 always welcome. One of the main concerns surrounding the PVD Tree Plan, according to Schmolka, is the possibility of 鈥渃reating a highway for gentrifiers.鈥澛�
鈥淎 really critical part of this work is accompanying it with really strong anti-displacement strategies and policies and making sure that at all levels, the work of urban forestry is community-controlled on a neighborhood level,鈥� Schmolka said.聽
One of the main pillars of both the PVD Tree Plan and PNPP, Tharinger said, is community engagement when 鈥渄eciding where they want to plant trees.鈥澛�
鈥淚f someone doesn鈥檛 want a tree in front of their house, then it鈥檚 not going to survive,鈥� she said.
Many PNPP tree plantings, like Saturday鈥檚, come from requests: Residents can ask for trees to be planted in front of their houses or in their neighborhoods. Others are organized through school and organizational events, Tharinger said.
And not everyone has the time or money to take care of a tree 鈥� even if they need or want one.
鈥淧art of what the PVD Tree Plan steering committee is focusing on and discussing is providing avenues for people that don鈥檛 have the resources 鈥β� to care for the trees,鈥� Elton said.
While many South Providence residents support the Tree Plan, Keys noted that very few have the time or energy to devote to achieving tree equity. 鈥淭he issue is that there are so many other things that are priorities to the neighborhood,鈥� Keys said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to have a conversation about tree equity when we鈥檙e having a conversation about people trying to stay in the neighborhood.鈥澛�
To alleviate residents鈥� concerns and ensure that newly planted trees are properly cared for, the plan will contain multiple recommendations on developing the forestry workforce 鈥� everywhere from local tree watering to city urban foresters, according to Schmolka. Maintaining trees "is work, and that work deserves compensation,鈥� she said.
鈥淲e're excited about the Tree Plan and about sharing it with the community,鈥� Elton said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e optimistic that it will be embraced throughout the community, but it鈥檚 going to be decades of work.鈥�
Julianna Chang is a University News Editor who oversees the academics and advising and student government beats. A sophomore from the Bay Area, Julianna is studying Biology and Political Science on the pre-medical track. When she's not in class or in the office, she can be found eating some type of noodle soup and devouring bad books.
