It’s Earth Day, Austin — take a look at the trees.
Austin’s urban forest of 33+ million trees covers ~30% of the city, cleaning the air, reducing flooding, providing shade, and increasing property values.
In total, Austin’s trees are valued at $12.3 billion and provide an estimated $38 million in benefits each year, in part through:
- Reducing energy costs
- Sequestering ~1.2 million tons of carbon per year
- Alleviating pollution
However, like several across the country, Austin’s urban forest is under threat of extreme weather, land development, invasive plants, and disease.
To protect Austin’s trees, about 10 years ago the city established an Urban Forest Plan outlining aims for bolstering the urban forest by 2034. The plan outlines a range of goals for the caretaking of trees on public land and right-of-ways, including:
- Identifying, suppressing, and managing invasive species
- Maximizing the use of stormwater and reclaimed water for irrigation
- Designing future street, sidewalk, and utility design with vegetation in mind
- Encouraging planting in high-priority areas, which includes much of east Austin
This map from My City’s Trees — a platform using data from Texas A&M Forest Service and the U.S. Forest Service — shows highly vegetated areas in dark green.
Screenshot of My City’s Trees interactive map
How to take care of trees in your neighborhood
First thing’s first: get to know the trees in your neighborhood with My City’s Trees’ interactive map.
Once you and your local urban forest are acquainted, dig into some of the opportunities for protecting the forest in your area:
- Call Austin 3-1-1 to report concerns about sick or damaged trees
- See if your area is part of a Neighborhood Partnering Program, which connects residents to resources for making green space improvements or enhancing trails
- Volunteer with the Austin Parks Foundation, Keep Austin Beautiful, The Trail Conservancy, or TreeFolks
- Plant a tree on your own property
