The OneSCC Sustainability Master Plan and county Climate Roadmap 2030 set urban forest equity goals tied to heat-vulnerable neighborhoods. Targets include doubling canopy cover in low-income areas through partnerships with cities, Valley Water, and Our City Forest.
Santa Clara County's Office of Sustainability runs urban forest equity programs under the OneSCC Sustainability Master Plan adopted 2021 and the Climate Roadmap 2030. Heat-island mapping by the Office of Health Equity flags East San Jose, Alviso, parts of Gilroy, and unincorporated North County as priority planting zones. Funding flows from Measure AA, Cap-and-Trade allocations, and CAL FIRE Urban and Community Forestry grants administered jointly with Our City Forest, Valley Water, and member cities. Targets include adding 100,000 trees countywide by 2030, prioritizing heat-vulnerable parcels, and ensuring at least 30 percent of new plantings serve census tracts with canopy cover below 15 percent. Implementation is voluntary at the parcel level and depends on landowner cooperation.
Urban forest equity targets are aspirational and not directly enforced against property owners. Failure of grant-funded contractors to meet equity benchmarks can trigger funding clawbacks under grant agreement terms.
See how Palo Alto's urban forest equity rules stack up against other locations.
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