We had our first tree planting in San Marcos in December 2020 with the San Marcos River Foundation. Scenic Texas partnered with San Marcos River Foundation and Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center for its inaugural tree planting. See the article in San Marcos Daily Record here.
Background
Scenic Texas member Bill Brock wants to leave a legacy. He came to Scenic Texas wanting to plant 1 million trees across Texas along roadways, much like he did in his youth in the Peace Corp in Guatemala. Currently, we are creating the plan to accomplish this big project and identify the areas most in need. Because we work with the TxDOT’s Green Ribbon Program, we know millions of trees and shrubs have been planted in Texas for attainment. The Green Ribbon Program was created to improve air quality for high traffic, urban areas with new road construction projects. However, there are areas of Texas that do not have the Green Ribbon Program and are in need of native landscaping and tree planting.
For the past year, volunteers, donors, and partners have helped kickstart and contribute to the 1 Million Trees Initiative Across Texas – helping to achieve the goal of planting 1 million trees across the state. Our first tree planting took place in San Marcos back in 2020 and marked the beginning of the initiative that will shape the future of Texas.
This initiative will help to improve the air quality in communities across the state by planting trees along roadways and highways. Planting these trees will also preserve and enhance the beautiful, native landscape of Texas.
While Scenic Texas has had the opportunity to support and at time partner with TxDOT’s Green Ribbon Program which has planted millions of trees and shrubs already across Texas, there are still areas around the state that don’t have access to this program and need our help. By planting trees and other vegetation, we are taking action to not only improve the air quality in the state, but also to create clean and scenic neighborhoods and roadways.
As we scale this program, we are looking at tree planting models in Europe and Asia that are also taking action to help aid climate change by planting diverse native trees to create mini-forests around overpasses throughout major cities.
If you are interested in contributing to this program or volunteering for the day for a future planting, please contact info@scenictexas.org.
“I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.” | From the poem Trees by Joyce Kilmer
HELP SCENIC TEXAS REACH THE GOAL OF PLANTING 1 MILLION TREES THROUGHOUT TEXAS BY JOINING US TODAY
Resources
City of Austin | Urban Forest Planning
Texas Trees Foundation | Dallas Urban Forest Master Plan
KUT | Poorer Parts Of Houston Have Fewer Trees And Hotter Temperatures
JSTOR | Could More Urban Trees Mitigate Runoff and Flooding?
New York Times | Since When Have Trees Existed Only for Rich Americans?
Pocket | Fast-Growing Mini-Forests Spring up in Europe to Aid Climate
JStor | Could More Urban Trees Mitigate Runoff and Flooding?
BBC | Growth of city trees can cut air pollution, says report
BBC | Climate change: China’s forest carbon uptake ‘underestimated’
TREES
by Barbara Brock
Look up, Look up
What do I see?
I see beauty, great gulps of beauty
Surrounding me.
A walk in the park beneath thy bows
Of ever-spreading limbs,
Sparks the creativity beneath my brow
Bringing artful thoughts to the brim.
Ever spark the green, green trees,
Never failing to beautify the sight in my eye.
Bending to the soft sound of the wind, gently
Swaying and tingling in the ground they lie.
The calm fortitude when surrounded
By the majestic of mighty oaks,
Never failing to believe that strength
Is derived from these grand old folks.
EurekAlert | The biggest trees capture the most carbon: Large trees dominate carbon storage in forests
