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Home » Programs

Urban Forest Program

Our Fall Tree Planting Campaign is LIVE

If you have received a letter in the mail about having a tree planted near your home, please click the below to access your tree registration!

BEC Protects Our Urban Forest Health

How much do you know about the benefits of Chico's Urban Forest? Our urban forest is exactly what it sounds like: a forest of trees thriving in an urban setting. This picture is from Chico's Esplanade, known for its abundance and variety of picturesque trees. Not only are these trees aesthetically pleasing, they also bring in many benefits to us and our local environment. Imagine what the rest of Chico would look like, and how much cooler the city would literally be, if all of our streets and neighborhoods had more trees.
Our partnership with the City of Chico's Urban Forest Revitalization Project hopes to do just that—to plant more trees and increase the urban forest canopy so all may enjoy the benefits of these trees equally. The bottom line is, planting trees prepares us for the effects of climate change and addresses an issue of environmental injustice in our community in terms of who would be most affected by the lack of trees in their area.
In the coming months, we will need your help to plant hundreds of trees in targeted areas—stay tuned for how!

Butte Environmental Council is partnering with the City of Chico's Urban Forest Manager in a three-year urban forest planting campaign! This Cal-Fire grant funded project aims to increase the number of Chico street trees by 700 in the next three years and will likely reach higher numbers of trees planted than required. 

The importance of our urban forest us great. Chico's urban forest is one of the most unique and precious features we get to enjoy, benefit from and care-take. There are over 35,000 trees in neighborhoods and municipal areas of the city. The benefits they provide include: reduction of overall C02 emissions, conservation of water and soil erosion, shade and mitigation of energy costs, and increase in wildlife and plant diversity. 

On May 2nd & 3rd, with the help of community volunteers, we delivered 118 trees to Chico residents!

For the next three years, we will be hosting community events each Spring and Fall to plant a variety of trees in the private corridors of our urban forest and there are two ways you can help.

1) Register to receive a tree for your private yard, you'll be able to choose the variety and we will help you plant your tree(s) properly during an upcoming event in the Fall. If you'd like to receive a tree in the Fall, email Chicotrees@Chicoca.gov, and you will be added to the mailer.

Click here to find a map of the Chico neighborhoods eligible for trees.

2) Be a local hero for our urban forest and volunteer at an upcoming event to help us achieve our goal. Join our list of tree volunteers below and you will be contacted with information about ways to help in the near future!

The Importance of a Healthy Urban Forest

“Chico’s Urban Forest is made up of trees, landscapes and other vegetation within the City’s parks, along the streets and creeks, and within private property. The urban forest provides an essential character to the City that includes aesthetic values, functional benefits and ecosystem services to its citizens both individually and as a whole. The elements of the urban forest exist throughout the community, although their care is under several jurisdictions, including both private and governmental entities.”
 
The burning of fossil fuels for energy and large scale forest fires such as in the tropics are major contributors o the buildup of CO2 in the atmosphere.
Managing and protecting forests and planting new trees reduces CO2 levels by storing carbon in their roots and trunk and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere.The loss of trees in our urban areas not only intensifies the urban "heat-island" effect from loss of shade and evaporation, but we lose a principal absorber of carbon dioxide and trapper of other air pollutants as well.
 
"The City of Chico is renowned for its trees. They create a sense of place and character for Chico’s residents and visitors. The Avenues Neighborhood is home to a great diversity of prominent and historic trees, including one of the greatest tree promenades in the world – The Esplanade. Rich, deep soils and resident’s pride in their neighborhood landscape have led to a large population of healthy, vigorous trees, many of which are City ‘street’ trees. Many of the trees selected for this tour represent common tree species in Chico. Some species on this tour are no longer approved for planting as street trees, though their presence holds historic value."