Category: In the News

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Reedley going green with trees

Reedley going green with trees

Tree Fresno has proposed adding more than 2,000 trees to Reedley in a first-ever citywide tree planting project.

Planting could begin as early as next spring, said Lee Ayers, chief executive officer of Tree Fresno.

The Reedley City Council voted 3-1 on Sept. 23 to give $10,000 to Tree Fresno to develop a community landscape plan for Reedley.

The total cost of the landscape plan is $30,000.  Reedley will give Tree Fresno the $10,000 once Tree Fresno raises the other $20,000.

 

Council Member Anita Betancourt voted “no” and Council Member Rick Rodriguez was absent.

Tree Fresno – a nonprofit Fresno-based organization – planted a memorial tree last year on the Rails to Trails Parkway for Sheryl Nickel of Reedley, who wanted to honor her late husband, Ray.

That led Ayers to collaborate with e good of all Fresno County and surrounding counties,” Zieba said.

Over the past 29 years, Tree Fresno has planted 40,000 trees in four counties — Fresno, Kings, Madera and Tulare counties.

Tree Fresno recently planted 300 trees in a Clovis neighborhood but has never done a project across an entire community.

Betancourt said she voted against the plan because the city can’t take care of its existing trees.

She said the trees on the Rails to Trails Parkway are “dying” and “look dirty.”

“I feel like we can barely take care of what we have right now,” Betancourt said. “Trees look good and are important, but if we’re going to plant them and can’t take care of them, I can’t see [supporting] that.”

Additionally, Betancourt said, trees require water, something that is scarce in the current drought.

Ayers said trees have multiple benefits.  They improve property values, contribute to energy conservation, provide shade and enhance air quality.

He said the landscape plan will identify areas where trees can be planted and list specific types of trees that would work best in Reedley – trees that are native to the area, drought-tolerant and don’t lift up sidewalks.  He also said Tree Fresno is committed to serving as a resource to help maintain the trees, once they are planted.

Ayers said the plan will position the city – in conjunction with Tree Fresno – to go after grant money to implement the plan.

Ayers said Reedley could take advantage of an “extraordinary” amount of money in the governor’s budget this year for urban forestry – over $10 million for disadvantaged communities.

Ayers said it’s possible that over 90 percent of the trees in Reedley would be planted on private property, including backyards and front yards.

“Our aim is to have a plan that is so compelling that everyone will want to plant trees,” Ayers said.

Tree Fresno has pitched the plan to the Kings Canyon Unified School District, Adventist Medical Center – Reedley, and the Greater Reedley Chamber of Commerce.  All have expressed interest in the project.  Palm Village Retirement Community already has committed funds to the project.

When Tree Fresno first approached the city about the landscape plan, Zieba said, she was a little “standoffish” because she thought Tree Fresno was going to ask the city to foot the bill.  However, she said, Tree Fresno’s offer to pay two-thirds of the amount was “very admirable.”

Ayers said Tree Fresno reached out to several neighboring communities, but Reedley seemed the most receptive to the plan.

Council Member Ray Soleno Soleno said trees could also help the city meet the state’s guidelines for cutting greenhouse gases and reduce the city’s carbon footprint by enhancing air quality.

Mayor Bob Beck also favors the landscape plan.

“This is a project that, if it gets a foothold, might help us in the long run.  It would be an advantage,” Beck said.

Council Member Mary Fast likes the aesthetics of trees.  She said there’s nothing prettier than a tree-lined street.   “It’s fun to walk in, it’s fun to bike in, and I believe very much that trees in a neighborhood make a big difference,” Fast said.

Follow this link to read it on the Reedley Exponent Website

 

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Valley air officials aim to cool down decades-old smog problem

Hot cities are ‘heat islands’ that contribute to ozone

By Mark Grossi — The Fresno Bee

In sweltering September 2011, Fresno could have used more trees. Temperatures climbed, winds died and lung-searing ozone spiked the season’s highest readings on three days.

Worse yet, all three peaks broke the one-hour federal ozone standard between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays when children were outside after school.

An extensive canopy of trees over streets, parking lots and driveways might have kept ozone-cooking heat down just enough to avert those dangerous peaks, say researchers. Plus, trees actually take pollutants out of the air.

It’s time to talk seriously about using trees and other city-cooling ideas, such as reflective or cool roofs, to end the San Joaquin Valley’s decades-long quest to achieve the federal one-hour ozone standard, say air-quality leaders.

These days, only a few parts per billion of ozone on a few days a year separate the Valley from the achievement…

…”Fresno needs to turn greener with trees,” says Lee Ayers, executive director of Tree Fresno. His organization is pushing to make trees a priority in the city.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt that we all would benefit from more trees,” he said. “It’s not just a matter of planting new trees. We need to replace trees that have died and retain mature trees in this city.”

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EDITORIAL: Tree Fresno offers vision for improving our community

Trees, trails, greenbelts can make us investment worthy.

The Fresno Bee
Friday, Oct. 05, 2012

 

For almost three decades, Tree Fresno has been making our community greener by planting thousands of trees and encouraging residents and businesses to join the effort. Now the reinvigorated organization is pushing local leaders to understand that trees, trails and greenbelts can help improve the local economy by improving the quality of life.

Tree Fresno has moved its offices to the Fresno State campus, and is pushing several proposals, including developing a Valley Arboretum that the group’s leaders say would be a signature amenity for our region. The trail system arboretum could link the San Joaquin River, the Kings River, regional parks and entertainment districts.

Lee Ayres, Tree Fresno’s CEO/executive director, said the Valley Arboretum should be in the new General Plans for the cities of Fresno and Clovis and Fresno County.

We support the mission of Tree Fresno and believe the Valley Arboretum would improve the region’s quality of life.

Our region hasn’t always appreciated the importance of greenbelts and open space. It seemed that undeveloped land needed to be paved, and strip malls on every corner was our version of signature amenities. That’s why Fresno ranks last in parks space among the nation’s 40 largest cities.

Fortunately, Tree Fresno has been working to change that score, and has a goal of Fresno being in the top 10 over the next decade. Ayres says this isn’t just about making our region greener. It’s about making it “investment worthy” by improving property values and broadening the tax base.

“Parks and community landscapes encourage business investment/relocation, increase community pride, reduce crime and help bring neighborhoods together,” John M. Valentino, co-founder of Tree Fresno, said in a commentary in The Bee. “Poverty-stricken cities usually have low street tree and park maintenance budgets. But who wants to move to a city or invest in a city of dead trees and unkempt or barren landscapes?”

Trees, trails and greenbelts are investments in our economy. We appreciate the commitment of Tree Fresno, and for working to remind us that appearance matters when a business is considering moving to our region.

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Award for Tree Fresno!

El Dorado Park.JPG

The Calfornia Urban Forest Council presented Tree Fresno with the “Outstanding Urban Forestry Project of the Year” award at its annual meeting in Sacramento on November 15, 2012. This recognizes the transformation of the El Dorado Park neighborhood with the planting of 79 trees in May, 2012; a collaborative effort by the City of Fresno, PG&E,  Wesley United Methodist Church, the property owners, and the residents.   This project aligns with the Vibrant Neighborhoods strategic priority set forth in the Vision for Tree Fresno.