FedEx, One Tree Planted, and Memphis City Beautiful urban tree planting
FedEx and One Tree Planted announce national urban forestry initiative starting with a tree planting event in Memphis
On Saturday, November 5th, One Tree planted and local partners Memphis City Beautiful, with support from FedEx, will be planting 15 large-caliper native trees at Washington Bottoms, a vacant urban greenspace in Memphis. Additional planting sites include the Hampline Corridor, Fourth Bluff Park, and River Garden Park, and will result in the planting of 100 new urban trees throughout Memphis.
“Memphis City Beautiful is grateful to be working with One Tree Planted again to maintain and improve the tree canopy in our wonderful city,” said Eldra Tarpley White, Executive Director of Memphis City Beautiful. “The 100 trees we’ll plant this fall will improve the quality of life for Memphians and continue our efforts to make greenspace equitable and accessible to all of our citizens.”
This project is Memphis is just one of 27 the projects that One Tree Planted is supporting across the United States as part of their recently launched Tree Equity Fund - a portfolio of high-impact urban forestry projects aimed at planting urban trees to address environmental justice issues - such as urban heat, air pollution, and lack of community greenspaces - and ultimately help communities achieve tree equity.
“We have a long way to go to reach our desired outcome - a future where all people, regardless of race or income, have not only equal access to the benefits of trees, but equitable access to the resources needed to get us there,” said Tanner Haid, Senior Manager of Urban Forestry at One Tree Planted. “The Tree Equity Fund, which includes this project, is a meaningful step in that direction. We will continue driving resources towards communities that need them most.”
Studies have found that in the United States, communities of color and low-income communities have 33% less tree canopy than whiter, more affluent communities. In Memphis, data from American Forests’ Tree Equity Scores tool tells a similar story to many urban communities - the greater the percentage of people in poverty, the less urban trees and forests.
From schools in Phoenix, Arizona to playgrounds in Detroit, Michigan - from urban wilderness in Portland to the streets of New Orleans still facing the impacts of Hurricane Katrina - the 27 projects supported by One Tree Planted’s Tree Equity Fund will result in the planting of nearly 11,000 new urban trees.
This initiative is made possible through the critical support of corporate sponsors, including FedEx, whose funding helped launch the initiative with One Tree Planted.
"FedEx is proud to help One Tree Planted launch their Tree Equity Fund, supporting our goal to help 50 million people by our 50th anniversary," shares Rose Jackson Flenorl, Manager of Global Citizenship at FedEx. "Today's event in Memphis will launch the planting of over 2,500 trees in underserved neighborhoods across 27 different communities, ensuring the health and environmental benefits provided by trees are shared by all."
To learn more about One Tree Planted and the Urban Tree Equity Fund, visit this page at onetreeplanted.org.