CITY OF TREES
Thanks to all the Jersey City students, K-12 grades who were inspired!
Thanks to Laura Skolar, Jersey City Parks Coalition and David Diaz of the Central Avenue Special Improvement District!
Below you will find photo galleries and a few video clips. All © 2016 Susan Newman, founder of Frogs Are Green.
Press Release –
Jersey City Students Paint “City of Trees” Vision
The Jersey City Parks Coalition and Frogs Are Green with Education and Engagement Sponsor Goldman Sachs, invites you to find out more about “City of Trees.”
Did you know that the Jersey City tree canopy is at severely low levels?
The City of Trees initiative is our response to the tree canopy study conducted by the Jersey City Environmental Commission, which found that the JC tree canopy is currently at 17%. (The national average is 40% for a mid-sized city.)
The Jersey City Parks Coalition has launched “City of Trees” which in collaboration with the City of Jersey City and other like-minded organizations, will plant a minimum of 2,020 trees by the year 2020.
What better way to engage students in this tremendous effort than to inspire them to create their “City of Trees” vision?
Students create their artwork, which was scanned or photographed for the “City of Trees” online gallery and and on May 26th, 2016 were painted on storefront windows along Central Avenue in Jersey City Heights.
Students included in their artwork:
- the tops of the trees or all parts
- birds, insects and other wildlife that may live in or around trees
- the leaf litter and ground below the trees and critters that inhabit those areas, such as frogs, salamanders, worms, bugs, etc…
- how to take care of trees
- how trees add to your daily view as you walk or ride about town
- how increasing the number of trees improve the health of all living things and will protect us further from climate change
If you have any questions about this initiative, contact Susan Newman at Frogs Are Green. (info@frogsaregreen.com).
Flickr Gallery Artwork >> City of Trees – Jersey City
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What is a tree canopy and why is it important?
In biology, the canopy is the above ground portion of a plant community or crop, formed by the collection of individual plant crowns.
In forest ecology, canopy also refers to the upper layer or habitat zone, formed by mature tree crowns and including other biological organisms (epiphytes, lianas, arboreal animals, etc.). Sometimes the term canopy is used to refer to the extent of the outer layer of leaves of an individual tree or group of trees. Shade trees normally have a dense canopy that blocks light from lower growing plants.
What is Urban Tree Canopy?
Urban tree canopy (UTC) is the layer of leaves, branches, and stems of trees that cover the ground when viewed from above. In urban areas, the UTC provides an important stormwater management function by intercepting rainfall that would otherwise run off of paved surfaces and be transported into local waters though the storm drainage system, picking up various pollutants along the way. UTC also reduces the urban heat island effect, reduces heating/cooling costs, lowers air temperatures, reduces air pollution, increases property values, provides wildlife habitat, and provides aesthetic and community benefits such as improved quality of life.