American Express and American Forests join forces
Aside from Phoenix’s efforts to plant trees and install shade trees, in February 2022 American Express announced a $1.1 million grant to American Forests to help the conservation nonprofit raise tree capital in four cities where American Express has offices: Phoenix, New York City, Salt Lake City and Sunrise, Florida.
The two organizations are tracking the progress of tree-planting efforts through an interactive map that shows neighborhood tree-justice ratings across the valley, not just in Phoenix. According to the American Forests website, the tree equity score assesses tree canopy presence, population density, income, employment, surface temperature, race, age and health.
American Forests calculates canopy coverage in various parts of Phoenix through a partnership with EarthDefine, a geospatial data and services company based in Redmond, Washington. EarthDefine calculates coverage by targeting trees with a laser and measuring the time it takes for reflected light to return to the receiver. Their values differ from the canopy coverage reported by Mesa and Phoenix.
Michelle Kurtz, a spokeswoman for American Forests, said they use additional data from a variety of sources to derive the score, including the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, imagery from Landsat and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
American Forests didn’t say how many trees they expect to plant. However, they stated that their goal is to get as close as possible to a tree equity score of 100 in each of the four grantee cities. The grant will also “support climate-resilient urban forests, create forestry jobs that will be marketed to historically marginalized populations, assess urban tree nursery needs, and help build nursery capacity,” American Express said on its website.
According to the interactive map, Phoenix has an average tree value of 80 out of 100. Mesa, on the other hand, has an average score of 80 and Chandler has a score of 81. Glendale and Gilbert have scores of 75 and 83, respectively.
Tree capital values in individual boroughs throughout Phoenix vary widely. Scores are significantly lower in low-income and black communities in South and West Phoenix. Some neighborhoods have scores in the 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s, while other Phoenix neighborhoods have scores in the 90+.
On February 16, the partnership was formed when members of American Express’ Phoenix office, along with representatives from American Forests and the Arizona Sustainability Alliance, volunteered to replant 45 trees in the Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area south of downtown Phoenix plant. Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego was among several community leaders in attendance.
Anyone interested in participating in the Tree Equity program can visit American Forests’ website and explore the Get Involved page.
cronkitenews.azpbs.org
https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2023/04/07/shade-trees-combat-arizona-heat-deaths/
