Trees are essential to human health. For starters, they produce oxygen. They beautify the landscape and provide habitat for birds and other woodland animals. Thriving stands of trees offer shady respite while also reducing stormwater runoff that causes erosion and degrades land.

Francesca Gross (right), program manager for Cool Green Trees, with volunteers and staff, prepares to plant a tree in Maclin Park. (Cawaco RC&D).

They make life better.

Trees play a special role in the life of cities. In urban areas, sparse tree canopies, vast paved surfaces and the high nighttime temperatures of summer have negative impacts on public health. Most notably, the combination contributes to air quality problems, increased chances of flooding and a higher incidence of acute respiratory problems among urban populations. For various reasons, the adverse health impacts tend to be more prevalent in lower-income, historically underserved areas that are “urban heat islands” because they lack trees and green space.

In Birmingham and Jefferson County, a two-year process of identifying and prioritizing areas where human health is most affected by heat-related issues led to the launch of the Cool Green Trees program. In collaboration with the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Cool Green Trees is implementing a plan for planting trees in areas where health impacts have been most acute. This “green infrastructure” of newly wooded areas will help absorb stormwater and lower nighttime summer temperatures while contributing to cleaner air.

“We’re demonstrating the value of trees in cooling and cleaning the city,” said Francesca Gross, program manager for Cool Green Trees. “We used health data to identify priority areas for planting trees, based on low tree canopy, history of flooding and poor air quality.”

Beginning Sept. 1, 2022, under a grant from the Jefferson County Department of Health’s donor advised fund with the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, Cool Green Trees has devoted its efforts to the Collegeville neighborhood in northern Birmingham. Like many disadvantaged communities, it was established in the shadow of a major industrial area, on low-lying land prone to flooding and is vulnerable to excessive heat.

The first targeted planting of trees took place in November 2022, around the city-operated recreation center in Maclin Park. New plantings are scheduled for October, November and December of this year. Key to the current and future success of those efforts, Gross noted, is the level of engagement in the project by individuals and organizations in Collegeville.

“We don’t just pick a spot and go plant trees,” said Gross. “Community engagement is critical. We’ve been very fortunate in Collegeville to have so much input and volunteer support from people and organizations in the neighborhood.”

As an aging city park, Maclin Park and the surrounding Collegeville neighborhood will benefit from the growth of new young trees. (Cawaco RC&D)

Among those providing support for Cool Green Trees are the Collegeville Neighborhood Association, Bethel Baptist Church — once pastored by Birmingham’s legendary civil rights leader, Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth — and J.T. Moore, who represents District 4 on the Birmingham City Council. Moore said district residents are enthusiastic about increasing the tree canopy, an issue that has been among his top priorities since taking office in 2021. Cool Green Trees is helping to make that a reality.

“I’m very encouraged by the work being done by Cool Green Trees,” Moore said. “More trees in our communities mean better air quality for our residents, reduced energy costs and a way to combat the heat we all live with during the summer months.

“I look forward to continued efforts to plant more trees across Collegeville and beyond,” Moore said.

For the planting that took place last fall, hands-on expertise was provided by foresters and arborists from Alabama Power. Company personnel dug the holes and set the trees that will add to the natural canopy in Maclin Park.

“We provided labor to support the efforts of Cool Green Trees,” said Josh Smalley, a utility arborist supervisor for Alabama Power. “We have a long track record of getting involved with communities and neighborhoods on environmental stewardship. And anytime we have an opportunity to partner with an organization on those goals, we try to take advantage of that.”

June 16 is Arborist Appreciation Day.

As a new organization, Cool Green Trees is being incubated under the Cawaco RC&D Council. A nonprofit based in Birmingham, Cawaco works in five central Alabama counties — Blount, Chilton, Jefferson, Shelby, and Walker — to connect communities to resources and partnerships that promote environmentally sustainable economic development.

Learn more about the Cool Green Trees initiative here.