URBAN FORESTRY

Tree Species Subcommittee:

Mission Statement: A tree working group was formed to review the MCAQD tree species list with a goal of developing a comprehensive list of suitable trees for planting in the valley. The planting of proper species in the proper place will enhance the likelihood of tree survival, which increases tree canopy coverage and related benefits. The list is being reviewed for a consensus on the best-performing trees for our area. As the group works through the list, items like invasiveness, availability and pest vulnerability are being addressed. When the review is completed, the list will be promoted to appropriate publics so it can be utilized by industry professionals. Links to the list will be made available on nursery/tree organization websites. The list will serve the green industry, such as landscape architects, city and urban planners, landscape contractors, maintenance companies, and others.

Tree Reference Guide for Maricopa County: Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, the City of Phoenix, and a team of stakeholders have collaborated to build this Tree Reference Guide for Maricopa County. This spreadsheet of tree information began as an earlier tree list created by the Maricopa County Air Quality Department, which has received substantial additions and revisions. The Guide is now available as a downloadable Excel file, allowing the user to filter and sort the downloaded information to suit their needs. We have attempted to list our sources of information by citing references throughout the list. Where a reference source is not listed, the information has come from a consensus of the committee building the list.

Municipalities Subcommittee:

Mission Statement: To increase tree equity and improve existing tree canopy within Maricopa County by fostering and enhancing communication, cooperation, and collaboration between municipal officials, tree planting organizations and the community

Municipality Toolkit: The goal of the Municipalities Toolkit is to create a Canopy Monitoring and Maintenance Best Practices in order to increase awareness and increase Canopy Cover in Maricopa County. The Municipalities toolkit is currently being drafted.

Business Partnerships:

Mission Statement: To improve tree canopy by engaging and collaborating with business property owners, with an emphasis on large businesses and corporations.

Workforce Development subcommittee:

Mission Statement: To cultivate a skilled and diverse urban forestry workforce, we will collaboratively develop and implement strategies that promote equitable education, training, and career opportunities. We aim to enhance the stewardship of urban forests, foster place-based sustainability practices, and create equitable green job opportunities for communities, while fostering a deeper appreciation and understanding of the vital role of trees in our urban environment

Arizona Urban Forestry K-12 Curriculum (Winter 2021)
This is the first AZ-specific urban forestry curriculum. The goal is to educate youth in grades K-12 on foundations of urban forestry in Arizona, including, but not limited to, tree structure and anatomy; ecosystem impacts such as biodiversity conservation and urban wildlife; social impacts such as urban infrastructure, urban heat island, air quality, stormwater management; and an introduction to arboriculture and agriculture as potential career pathways. Once completed, it will be available to the public.

Apache Junction Median Tree Planting (November 2020)
AZSA is continuing our long-term commitment to the City of Apache Junction. We will be planting another 25 native trees in the medians in downtown Apache Junction thanks to support from Edward Jones. 

El Mirage Tree Planting (January 2021)
In partnership with American Forests, AZSA will plant at least 35 trees in El Mirage utilizing the recently released Tree Equity Map of the Phoenix Metro by American Forests.

West Mesa River Community Heat Action (Fall 2021)
In partnership with Rio Reimagined, Chispa, Arizona State University, and others, we are supporting the development of a community Heat Action Plan and implementing at least one demonstration or pilot project in a West Mesa river community neighborhood. This participatory process will develop awareness, agency, and social cohesion in underrepresented communities. AZSA will be responsible for planting 100 trees with the Mesa community near the end of this project.

Concord Neighborhood Tree Planting, Tempe (March 2020)
Concord Neighborhood planted 25 desert-adapted trees in March with AZSA towards their 100-tree goal.

Alhambra Elementary School District Tree Planting, Phoenix (February 2020)
In partnership with American Forests, Microsoft and the GreenBiz Conference planted 25 native trees and 25 native shrubs at two schools in the Alhambra Elementary School.

Concord Neighborhood Tree Planting, Tempe (November 2019)
On November 16, 2019, we planted 24 trees with the Concord Neighborhood on their property. This is our second planting in the North Tempe Neighborhood Association area and our third in support of the Tempe Urban Forestry Master Plan. International Paper funded this planting, and a great group of volunteers came out from First Solar to help us. This planting also furthered Concord’s plans to plant 100 trees or more on their property. This low-income neighborhood was established in the 1960s and has various trees that need to be replaced due to the specimen’s species or age. We enjoyed working with Concord and look forward to helping them in the future. 

Apache Junction Median Tree Planting, Apache Junction
On October 26, 2019, in collaboration with the City of Apache Junction and the Apache Junction Community Development Corporation, we planted 26 native trees within the Apache Trail median on the community’s main commercial corridor. This will beautify the area and encourage economic growth and walking/biking. It also captures carbon, helps with the heat island effect, and helps with stormwater runoff. AZSA provided the trees for this venture with the help of General Dynamics, GreenBin, and our wonderful AZSA donors. The Apache Junction Community Development Corporation brought hundreds of native and desert-adapted plants for the median as well. This planting was part of a larger plan by the City to plant along the median from Phelps Drive to Meridian. In total, that will be 100 trees.

We look forward to working with these partners again on future plantings.

North Tempe Neighborhoods Tree Planting, Tempe
On November 3, 2018, we planted 25 desert-adapted trees on 13 private properties in a North Tempe neighborhood. This planting was done with the North Tempe Neighborhood Association and helped support the Tempe Urban Forestry Master Plan—International Paper funded this project.

New School for the Arts and Academics Tree Planting, Tempe
On April 28, 2018, we planted 19 trees at the New School of the Arts and Academics in Tempe. We worked with the school, specifically teacher Jane Dowell, to provide trees in areas that could use shade around the school. Jane plans to utilize the trees in future classrooms to teach children about trees and have them help take care of the trees.

This project was part of our efforts to support the Tempe Urban Forestry Master Plan, which calls for increasing canopy cover to 25% by 2040. As the City only owns less than 3% of the land in the City, most of the planting will have to take place on private property. The trees will provide shade in much of the school’s outdoor area, including near some of the classroom buildings, which will help keep those buildings cool. By planting desert-adapted trees like eucalyptus, desert willow, and palo blanco, we have limited the amount of additional water the school will have to use to support the trees in the future. This project was completed with an urban forestry grant from International Paper.