The city of Berkeley plans to plant 1,000 to 1,800 trees over the next 15 months to improve quality of life and mitigate equity issues.

According to a city of Berkeley press release, the trees will be planted in residential neighborhoods throughout South and West Berkeley. The tree-planting plan emerged from the city receiving funding from two grants that allowed city staff to develop this “Trees Make Life Better” program.

Within the program, staff have identified eight areas in Berkeley where residents will have the option to have a tree planted in front of their property in three-month increments, the press release notes.

The city intends to plant more trees since tree canopy is strongly correlated to increased absorption of greenhouse gasses, reducing heating and cooling costs, providing shade and stabilizing temperatures, according to the press release.

Berkeley also has “significant equity issues” regarding the difference in tree canopy in the Berkeley Hills versus Southwest and Northwest Berkeley, the press release adds.

The tree-planting plan is an “innovative program” that addresses racial inequities that come with “green redlining,” or the relative scarcity of green space in redlined neighborhoods, according to campus city planning lecturer Margaretta Lin.

Lin added that the Berkeley Hills has had restrictive racial housing contracts that “explicitly excluded” Black and Asian American residents from living in those neighborhoods.

“This racist zoning then resulted in families of color living in many of the neighborhoods in northwest and southwest Berkeley that were then subjected to redlining, being cut off from access to federal and private financial resources,” Lin said in an email.

According to Lin, “zip code matters” in regards to providing individuals with the necessary environmental, social and economic infrastructure for their well-being and health. 

She added that trees increase property values, as well as mental, physical and climate health.

The tree-planting initiative will also require city staff to notify residents at their doorsteps if their property is eligible for tree planting, as well as provide residents with the necessary wire, poles and watering to care for the tree, according to the press release.

The press release adds that residents must also submit an application if they would like to plant a tree on their property.

Lin noted that the city program is making an effort to ensure equity amongst different neighborhoods by hosting outreach events at parks, utilizing a simple application for residents to complete and notifying residents of the program in a door-to-door manner.

“The City’s equity-based design will help ensure that the families who have the least access to City resources will now know about the tree planting program,” Lin said in the email.