Sacramento is the self-proclaimed “City of Trees.” Though the water tower on Interstate 5 holds a different slogan, the city continues to boast many arboreal neighborhoods — full of oak, redwood and a myriad of other greenery — but some areas present a stark contrast in tree coverage compared to others.
Tree canopy coverage provides many benefits, including carbon sequestration, reducing the effects of heat islands, improving air quality, promoting mental well-being and enhancing aesthetic beauty, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Christopher Papouchis, a wildlife conservation scientist and environmental studies lecturer at Sacramento State, said maintaining a healthy urban forest is key to maximizing its benefits.
“When you’re driving through the Central Valley and you come upon this oasis of trees in Sacramento, it really reminds you of how closely our lives are tied to our urban tree canopy and how important it is for us to take care of it,” Papouchis said.
But he added that the city of Sacramento has a role in distributing trees equally.
An assessment commissioned by the City of Sacramento in 2018 found that areas with lower median pay averages, more renters and a higher percentage of people of color have significantly less tree canopy coverage than other areas in the city. Many of these areas — located directly north and south of the central city — have as little as 4% tree canopy coverage, considerably lower than the California urban area average of 19%.
“It’s pretty clear to me that this is an equity and justice issue when you look at the city maps [to see] where the tree canopy is the most abundant,” Papouchis said. “[Canopy coverage] is going to be in the older and more affluent communities, the white communities, and less in the more underserved and disadvantaged communities.”
The Meadowview Urban Tree Project, or MUTP — a grassroots volunteer effort aiming to reshape the equity of Sacramento’s tree canopy — is responding by removing stumps and planting trees for South Sacramento residents.
Grassroots effort to improve Sacramento’s tree canopy
The MUTP volunteer group focuses on reducing the inequity of tree canopy coverage in Sacramento, particularly in the Meadowview neighborhood. It also organizes events, teaching residents how to care for their trees in an effort to enhance tree canopy density.
A small staff carries out the project's initiatives by working with the city and other organizations like the Sacramento Tree Foundation. The MUTP offers stump removal programs, loans out tree care tools to remove mistletoe — which is invasive and can cause damage to some trees, according to the California Forest Pest Council — and planting services to improve the health of neighborhood trees.
Founders Ron Brasel and Jeff Solomon are key members of the volunteer project, with Brasel serving as the designated president and Solomon as the appointed treasurer. The organization was formed after Brasel applied for a $5,000 grant through Cal Fire, with the support of the Sacramento Tree Foundation.
“For historical reasons, you could make a generalization to say the east and west sides of Sacramento have a very good tree canopy, whereas the north and the south do not,” Brasel said. “We just want to help South Sacramento obtain the kind of trees that some of the other neighborhoods in Sacramento have.”
Trees line O'Neil Way in Sacramento's Meadowview neighborhood on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023.Claire Morgan/CapRadio
If a resident in South Sacramento has an old tree in their yard with a remaining stump, MUTP will hire a licensed contractor to grind the stump if the resident agrees to plant or replace another tree in their yard. Solomon said the organization has removed and planted about 40 trees since they began work in 2021.
Solomon added that the results of their efforts will not be immediately visible, but noticed in the coming decades.
“We're involved in planting baby trees, and they don't they don't have any value to the canopy at this point,” he said. “But you have to look at the long-term picture in 10, 20 or 40 years. That's what we're going for. It's not going to be an immediate fix.”
The organization's primary objective is to tackle the challenges of insufficient funding and participation from the community, Brasel said. However, the project aims to educate residents about the advantages of trees and establish sustainable tree cover over time.
“I'm not saying the community doesn't want to do this,” he said. “But if the community was actively engaged in it … if everybody were yelling and screaming at the city that ‘we want trees,’ then the money would come.”
Disadvantaged areas left on the back burner
Sacramento has some of the highest air pollution levels in the nation, much of it driven by vehicle exhaust and wildfire smoke. Where there are fewer trees, there is worse air quality, and people of color are 3.7 times more likely than white people to live in areas with more air pollution, according to a 2023 report from the American Lung Association.
“In the summertime, when there are sweltering heat waves, you can feel the difference when there is tree coverage,” Papouchis said. “We live in one of the most polluted regions in the country … trees do a great job of filtering the air.”
Papouchis, who lives in Land Park — an area with a lush tree canopy — said he realizes this privilege is not a coincidence. He said that politics are involved in tree distribution, and community engagement with local decision-makers is crucial in getting more planted.
Trees line the street in a neighborhood near William Land Park in Sacramento, Calif., on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023.Tony Rodriguez/CapRadio
“Canopy equity is a social justice endeavor,” Papouchis said. “If you look at tree canopies across the city, South Sacramento has some of the lowest coverage.”
Papouchis said planting trees comes with a price attributable to regular watering and maintenance, but the cost of restoring a tree canopy is offset by the benefits more urban forestry provides.
“Those benefits should be distributed equally,” Papouchis said. “You shouldn't need to have a lot of money and be white to be able to live in a community that has a good canopy. That should be a given as far as I’m concerned.”
Sacramento’s plans to improve city-wide tree canopy
The City of Sacramento's public works department is in the process of implementing and finalizing the Sacramento Urban Forest Plan. The plan requires a draft of a climate action and adaptation plan, which includes the goal of 35% tree canopy coverage city-wide by 2045.
The Urban Forest Plan also includes requirements that the city plant more native trees, engage with the community and promote social justice in urban forestry.
Rachel Patten, the city’s Public Works sustainability analyst, said Sacramento plans to prioritize planting more trees to reach its canopy goals in the areas that need the most attention.
“What we'll be looking at [for the city’s urban forest plan] in terms of prioritizing communities is their disadvantaged community status,” Patten said. “There are a lot of neighborhoods that are racially diverse, economically disadvantaged, that are recognized by the state and the federal government as needing greater investment.”
The city funds its contributions to increase tree canopy, Solomon said, but it also relies on community groups, nonprofits and residents to play a role.
“It’s critical that community, groups, individuals, other agencies and nonprofits are taking action. We’re not going to reach our goals without groups like [the MUTP],” Patten said.
As an advocate for more community engagement to advance the initiative of equitable tree canopies, Papouchis said that group efforts are crucial in making the change in tree density possible.
“It's always the squeaky wheel that gets the grease,” Papouchis said. “For community members, one of the basic duties we have is to speak up and find local champions like [the MUTP], a volunteer organization that's taking the lead.”
The MUTP is currently offering both tree stump and mistletoe removal services for Meadowview residents. Those interested can either fill out a form on the MUTP website or email the organization.
Follow us for more stories like this
CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you. As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.
Donate Today