Increase Redding’s Urban Forest Canopy!
Would you love to have a nice, shaded front yard?! Do you already have one but know someone else
that might want one for free? SEA is excited to announce that we’ve received a grant from The Bower
Charitable Foundation to plant 50 free shade trees in the front yards of 50 residents in the City of
Redding during 2024!
The planting of these trees will help not only shade homes and provide lowered air conditioning costs
but will also sequester carbon and provide a habitat for wildlife. In addition, planting trees can help
prevent the “heat island effect.” A heat island refers to the buildings, structures, and streets in a city
which absorb solar radiation throughout the day and dissipate that heat into the air throughout the day
and night. Air conditioning units and vehicles also are part of the heat island. Studies by groups such as
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have shown that a city can be as much
as 12 degrees hotter than the surrounding countryside that is covered by natural vegetation. The heat
island effect can be alleviated by the planting of a thick tree canopy which shades streets, buildings and
sidewalks. Did you know that sidewalks can be as much as 160 degrees hotter than the surrounding
air?
Residents wanting a free, front yard shade tree will need to fill out an interest form below
and commit and agree to water the tree for the first three years to ensure the planted tree will be able to
adequately root into the ground and stabilize for future growth. We will have a pre-selected grouping of
trees, including some native ones.
We will be asking that homeowners help SEA volunteers prepare the yard and help plant the trees.
There will be several specific tree-planting weekends in the fall and possibly one in the spring of 2024.
Some, but not all, of the trees will be native and SEA will be needing to ensure specific trees will be the
right fit for different yards and areas where they will be planted.
Trees will be supplied for free and planted by SEA volunteers and the help of the homeowners
receiving them in the fall of 2024. If you would like to volunteer to help plant these shade
trees, please fill out the Contact Form.