The Cleveland Tree Plan and Cleveland Tree Coalition direct canopy investments to historically under-canopied and redlined neighborhoods, aiming to close the urban forest equity gap measured against citywide and national averages.
Cleveland's tree canopy hovers near 18%, well below national city averages and far lower in historically Black and low-income neighborhoods that align closely with 1930s redlining maps. The 2020 Cleveland Tree Plan, the Tree Coalition, Holden Forests and Gardens, and Western Reserve Land Conservancy partner on giveaway events, school plantings, and resident stewardship to direct trees to high-need wards before high-canopy ones.
Equity goals are policy commitments rather than enforcement standards. Tree damage and unauthorized removal remain enforceable under Codified Ordinances 1351-1361.
Cleveland, OH
Cleveland addresses urban heat islands through tree canopy expansion under the Cleveland Tree Plan, green stormwater infrastructure, and pilot cool-roof and ...
Cleveland, OH
Cleveland's Bureau of Forestry, within the Department of Public Works, controls planting, pruning, and removal of street trees in the public tree lawn betwee...
See how Cleveland's urban forest equity rules stack up against other locations.
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