Category: In the News

Posted on by

Tree Fresno

Tree Fresno

Tree Fresno

IN THE APRIL 14 ISSUE

FROM THE 2018 ARTICLES,
ANDGOING GREEN,
ANDLORIE LEWIS HAM SECTIONS

by Lorie Lewis Ham

This week we are celebrating Earth Day which takes place on April 22. Because of that, we thought it would be a perfect time to talk with Tree Fresno, a Community Benefit Organization serving Fresno, Tulare, Madera, and Kings Counties whose mission is to transform the San Joaquin Valley with trees, greenways, and beautiful landscapes. We chatted with Brianna Woodsford who is a part of Tree Fresno.

KRL: What are your goals and what do you do?

Brianna: Our Big Goals: (1) Teach the art of living green to every citizen. Help make the landscapes at Fresno State an inspiration for the region; (2) Raise the Fresno ParkScore from last to the top 10% in the nation; (3) Develop the Valley Arboretum, a system of greenways, as a signature amenity for the region; (4) Transform rural cities and urban districts with Community Landscapes Plans; (5) Establish a Veteran’s Grove and Tribute Grove in every city in our region; and (6) Demonstrate how trees and greenways reduce air pollution, energy use, storm water run-off and groundwater contamination.

What We Do: We create special places; we plant, care, inspire; we are a voice, a teacher, a steward.tree fresno

KRL: When, how, and why did Tree Fresno begin?

Brianna: We have been around since 1985. The co-founders held a successful telethon to raise money to plant trees as a way to celebrate the Centennial of the City of Fresno. The community responded in a big way. Tree Fresno became a non-profit corporation in 1987.

KRL: What is your position with Tree Fresno?

Brianna: I am the Program Assistant for Tree Fresno. My job duties consist of volunteer coordination, community outreach, and planting trees (of course)!

KRL: Why do you feel that Tree Fresno is important?

Brianna: As a resident in the Central Valley, and a mother of three, it is essential to me that we work to improve the landscapes around us. Trees clean our air, reduce the urban heat island effect, provide opportunities for us to connect with nature, and restore our mental and physical well-being.planting a tree with tree fresno

KRL: What is a ParkScore and why is this important?

Brianna: A ParkScore is a rating system developed to measure how well U.S. cities are meeting their residents’ need for parks. ParkScore was designed to help local communities improve their park systems and identify where new parks are needed most. Tree Fresno is planting hundreds of trees in parks throughout the San Joaquin Valley. These trees will help make our region a cooler, healthier, cleaner, and more beautiful place to live, work, and play.

KRL: What is the Valley Arboretum?

Tree Fresno volunteer carrying branches

Tree Fresno volunteer

Brianna: The Valley Arboretum, a system of greenways, is becoming a signature amenity for the Fresno region. Adopted by reference in the 2014 General Plan, the San Joaquin River Parkway, Sugar Pine Trail, Old Town Clovis Trail, and the new Mid-Town Trail are notable components.

KRL: What are some of the events you do?

Brianna: Tree Fresno participates in numerous community outreach events each year. We host three annual events:
Arbor Day Celebration: Friday, April 27, 2018 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Location: Tree Fresno Demonstration Garden
Purpose: To inspire attendees to plant and design beautiful landscapes and build volunteer support.
Homecoming at the Hort: October, 2018arbor day evet
Purpose: To celebrate Fresno State landscapes & Tree Fresno education initiatives.
The CTL Shuttle Express: The CTL Shuttle Express provides a place to park, a way to see the whole Lane, and a ride home to limit the distance and time to make the walk.

KRL: How can people get involved?

Brianna: We have many volunteer opportunities. You can view them on our Facebook Page and/or Website. You can also contact brianna@treefresno[dot]org for more information.

KRL: Anything you would like to add?

Brianna: Maybe about becoming a member of Tree Fresno. As a member of Tree Fresno you will enjoy the opportunity to help us reach our Big Goals and Annual Membership Levels:
Starter Membership: $25: One Christmas Tree Lane Shuttle Ticket
Family Membership: $50: 2TwoCTL Shuttle Tickets
Business Membership: $100 Two CTL Shuttle Tickets and one Tree Seedling.

Check out more Earth Day articles in our Going Green section.

Posted on by

Goodbye trees, hello solar canopies: Project will change look of college parking lots

Goodbye trees, hello solar canopies: Project will change look of college parking lots

BY BONHIA LEE

The installation could save about $18 million in energy costs districtwide over the next 20 years. But it also means death to a bunch of trees – at least 88 alone in the Fresno City College parking lots along McKinley Avenue.

Fresno City faculty member Jeannine Koshear isn’t happy about the trees being cut down, including one that she claims is a century old and used in class lessons. She’s also upset with the district for not getting more community input before voting to move ahead with the project.

“Here we are, in the Valley, with horrible air quality, and we’re going to cut down trees to install solar?” Koshear said.

“This would change the face of campus forever.”

THIS WOULD CHANGE THE FACE OF CAMPUS FOREVER.

Jeannine Koshear, Fresno City faculty member

Discussions about a districtwide solar project started last August. A presentation was made to the board of trustees in February and the board voted in March, in a close 4-3 decision, to move ahead with the installation. There were a lot of meetings leading up to the vote, and the district posted a formal 15-day notice before the March meeting, said Christine Miktarian, associate vice chancellor of business and operations.

The district entered a lease agreement with ForeFront, a solar company recommended by the School Project for Utility Rate Reduction, or SPURR program, a joint powers authority created in 1989 by California public school districts. SPURR helps streamline the solar competitive bidding process for public entities.

The plan is to install solar shade structures and some electric car-charging stations at Clovis Community College, the district’s Herndon Avenue campus in Clovis, Fresno City, Madera Community College Center and Reedley College.

Fresno City was the biggest challenge because it has a lot of trees, a shortage of land and a plan that outlines possible future development at the college, Miktarian said. The district did not want to take away any parking areas or build on land that could be slated for a new building, she said.

The solar structures would be built over the existing parking lots along McKinley Avenue. The lot closest to the railroad tracks was spared because it could be home to a new parking structure in the future.

“We’re not putting (solar) on the buildings,” Miktarian said. “That would be an added structural issue for the buildings themselves.”

88Trees to be removed at Fresno City College

The trees in the parking lots are in the way so they have to go, the district said. None of the college’s “heritage” trees – the old, mature trees that are part of a campus tree walk program – will be removed, Miktarian said.

Once construction is finished by the end of the year, the district plans to plant 100 large native shade trees on the Fresno City campus and another 300 between the Madera and Reedley college sites, Miktarian said. The district is working with Tree Fresno on applying for a grant.

Construction is scheduled to begin in late summer and will run into the start of the new school year.

Koshear, who said she supports solar and other efforts to reduce energy costs, is still not convinced solar panels on the parking lots is the way to go.

“It seems to me like there’s a model that is much more … collaborative and doesn’t involve the destruction of trees.”

BoNhia Lee: 559-441-6495, @bonhialee