Sacramento has a new plan to grow the city’s tree canopy and wants your feedback

Sacramento is asking the public to give feedback on a draft plan to increase how much of the city is covered by trees from 19% to 35% by 2045. 

The city opened the public comment period Friday and will accept feedback on the Sacramento Urban Forest Plan through June 21. 

Rachel Patten, a sustainability program specialist, said the city can’t reach the goals on its own. The city, other agencies and the public will need to plant about 25,000 trees per year and protect the 1 million existing trees, according to the plan. The city doesn’t own enough land to plant all of the new trees and currently maintains about 100,000. 

“The city is a leader with urban forestry and has a responsibility to the trees that are in public spaces, but individual trees grow everywhere in the city,” Patten said. “Every individual homeowner or business and other agency is also part of this collaborative effort.”

Patten added the city is particularly interested in whether people have specific tree canopy ideas for their neighborhoods. 

Ten neighborhoods, including Elmhurst and Land Park, already have tree canopy coverage of 35% or higher. But 69 neighborhoods have 20% or less coverage, according to the plan. Old Sacramento and Meadowview each have about 12% coverage. 

A map of areas being prioritized for new trees in Sacramento's proposed urban forest plan. Areas were ranked by measures such as lowest canopy, highest vulnerability to extreme heat and most socio-economically vulnerable.Sacramento Urban Forest Plan

The plan proposes prioritizing planting new trees in areas with the lowest canopy levels and highest heat exposure. A 2019 study found temperatures between Sacramento neighborhoods can vary by up to 20 degrees and wealthier areas with more trees tend to be cooler. Trees not only lower temperatures, but also improve air quality and lower electricity bills, according to the plan, which is tied to the city’s goal to reach carbon neutrality by 2045. 

At a press conference on Thursday, Mayor Darrell Steinberg said the city will work with partners to decrease disparities in tree shade, including in North and South Sacramento. 

“When we say we’re the City of Trees, we need to mean we’re the City of Trees for every neighborhood,” Steinberg said. 

The plan also proposes educating homeowners on the benefits of and how to maintain trees, such as with water-efficient irrigation. Garret Werner is the Sacramento Tree Foundation’s director of community education and engagement. He said community outreach, building relationships and getting people invested takes more time than planting new trees. 

“We plant the trees and they might get taken care of for a few years, but eventually, the community has to take ownership of those trees and care for them,” Werner said. “So, if they’re not behind it, then the trees aren’t going to be as successful”. 

Financial incentives the plan proposes looking into include providing a tax break for properties that register mature trees with the city. 

The public can give feedback on the draft through a self-guided online workshop or by emailing [email protected]. The City Council is expected to approve the plan this summer.