Public works staff say program aims to boost urban tree canopy by 3% through community planting

A staff member from the Division of Public Works said the division aims to increase the urban tree canopy by 3% as crews planted seedlings that homeowners had helped cultivate.

“Our goal as a division of public works is to increase [music] the tree canopy by 3%,” the staff member said, describing the project as an intentional urban-forestry effort rather than routine forest maintenance.

The program purchases small seedlings and delivers them in grow bags to homeowners who apply to participate. The staff member said the seedlings are tended by residents for up to two years; she said staff recently picked them up, watered them in the division’s parking lot for a week and then planted them in the selected site to “increase the urban canopy in this area and just bring some benefits to the area.”

The staff member characterized urban forestry as different from managing a natural forest, noting the long-term nature of trees and the chance for residents to be involved in stewardship. She said planting was progressing quickly and that the trees looked healthy: “I am really happy that everything's going smoothly so [music] far and the trees are getting in the ground pretty quickly and they all look pretty good, which is great.”

Officials did not provide a city name, specific planting schedule, or budget in the transcript. The description in the meeting focused on the program mechanics — seedling purchase, homeowner cultivation, temporary on-site nursing and final planting — and the stated canopy target. No formal votes, motions, or regulatory citations were recorded in the provided transcript.