Trees For Houston plants a record 101,000 trees and understory species in 150 zip codes | Community

Oak Forest-based Trees For Houston, the region’s leading tree advocate, reached a milestone with a record 101,000 trees and understory species planted in 150 Houston-area ZIP codes during the 2023-24 planting season, which runs from October to April. These were distributed at 473 tree plantings and 165 tree distribution events. This success is due in part to Trees For Houston’s increased accessibility and visibility through the new Kinder Campus and Chevron Tree Nursery, in addition to strong community partnerships.

Trees For Houston (TFH) continues to be the leader in urban tree planting throughout the Greater Houston area. Over the past three years, Trees For Houston has increased the number of tree plantings and distributions from 26,000 to more than 100,000 trees and understory trees. This exceptional growth has been achieved through the organization’s ability to expand its tree growing efforts, execute projects from conception to completion, collaborate with community partners for widespread access to free trees and to maximize philanthropic support through flexible and diverse programming efforts.

“Now having a permanent home with our own dedicated nursery has been a game changer for Trees For Houston in our ability to better serve the Greater Houston area with many more trees distributed and planted,” says Barry Ward, Trees For Houston . Executive Director. “Our reach is broad, with the trees going to various entities and individuals in the surrounding areas. We are grateful to our donors, corporate partners and volunteers who have allowed us to serve these communities so effectively.

The Kinder campus officially opened its doors to the public in October 2023 when 130 tree supporters, including city, county and state officials, came to attend the official ribbon cutting ceremony to unveil the new $9 million Kinder campus, including the Kyle and John Kirksey Center and the Bauer Education Center, an indoor/outdoor space. Additionally, Chevron Tree Nursery is located at 1911 W. 34th Street in the Oak Forest neighborhood with easy access to the 610 Loop.

Trees For Houston is a national model for innovative, economically efficient urban forestry organizations, with nearly 800,000 trees planted since 1983. It is a major player in the City of Houston’s Resilient Houston Strategy and the Houston Climate Action Plan, which aims to plant 4.6 million trees over 10 years. Trees provided by Trees For Houston will help restore, protect and improve our ability to capture and store carbon and reduce flooding.