Coalition Plans Tree Planting in West Oakland

A collective of West Oakland organizations has secured $800,000 in funding for the planting of 1,500 trees in vacant tree wells and front yards. However, ensuring these trees not only get planted, but also survive, has required extensive collaboration among local parties and is prompting local leaders to consider innovative ways of maintaining street trees at a community level.

The funding comes from the California Resources Control Board, building on $8 million designated for citywide tree-planting from the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act. This combined financial boost provides local organizations with a unique chance to drastically alter the built environment in their neighborhood. The addition of trees will bring shade to the previously industrial area and aid in cooling sidewalks, counteracting the warming effect of urban infrastructure and making the streets a more pleasant place to walk or cycle.

Residents of the neighborhood, which is in proximity to the Port of Oakland and three major freeways, will also benefit from cleaner air. Trees can eliminate airborne pollutants, including fine particulate matter and black carbon, enhancing air quality. Furthermore, street trees can improve the mental wellbeing of inhabitants and have been linked with lower crime rates in neighborhoods.

“The level of investment directed towards this community is not something you see every day. It’s energizing,” commented Meet Panchal, the community engagement lead at the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project. This environmental justice organization is handling community outreach for the tree-planting scheme.

The West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project is gathering tree requests via an online form. Renters, property owners, and business owners in West Oakland are all eligible to request a tree. Furthermore, individuals who visit the neighborhood for work or worship can request a tree on behalf of their business or religious institution. Around 200 trees have been requested so far, with the organization continuing to accept requests until September.

West Oakland, like many historically redlined communities, has significantly fewer trees than richer, predominantly white neighborhoods nearby. A federal level classification of communities of color, including West Oakland, as risky for investment in the 1930s and 1940s led to systemic disinvestment in those areas. According to a city tree inventory conducted as part of the Urban Forest Plan, census tracts in the Oakland hills have many more trees than the flatlands. In some hilly tracts, tree canopies cover as much as 46% of land. Conversely, tree canopy coverage in the flatlands, including West Oakland, is as low as 1.3% in some tracts.

“There’s a substantial divide,” stated Gordon Matassa, an acting tree supervisor and arboricultural inspector for the city.

Now, a coalition of advocates, designers, and city staff is rallying to tackle this disparity.