Cleveland: Private Trees for Public Good

Donations to this campaign will bring locally grown trees to homes and businesses in our neighborhood and establish a permanent tool for ordering free or discounted trees for Cleveland residents. Trees will be planted in Detroit Shoreway, Slavic Village, Central-Kinsman, and Glenville neighborhoods.

Using a web tool available from Arbor Day Foundation, home and business owners will be able to map their property, choose the best tree for their location, and find the best place to plant their tree. Trees will then be shipped to your home or available for pickup at tree training workshops where residents can learn more about properly planting and caring for their trees.

This campaign covers the minimum investment of $5,000 to bring Arbor Day Foundation's Community Canopy service to Cleveland. Donations through June 24, 2018 are eligible for 1-to-1 match from the Cleveland Climate Action Fund. Moving forward, local organizations that are part of the Cleveland Tree Coalition are working to secure funding to turn this into a permanent program with the eventual goal of providing free trees to residents in Cleveland.

July 2018: Funding campaign ends

August 2018: Our project team works with Arbor Day Foundation to customize their Community Canopy website for Cleveland, connect Arbor Day with local tree growers, and engage local tree experts in planning workshops

September 2018: Community Canopy tree-ordering web tool goes live for residents

October 2018–March 2019: Trees planted! Tree workshops for residents

Today, only about 19% of Cleveland is shaded by trees. Each year, we lose about 6,400 trees (1% of existing tree canopy cover) to old age, lack of proper maintenance, pests, disease, and development. 

It's time to reforest our Forest City! We want to help get Cleveland to 30% tree canopy. Thirty percent tree cover will give us cleaner air and water, provide natural heating and cooling, and beautify our neighborhoods—benefits valued at $42 million per year. Privately owned land makes up the majority of land available for trees in Cleveland and brings these benefits directly to home and business owners.

Today, cities around the country are already using Arbor Day's Community Canopy program, which connects local funds to private landowners who want trees. The most common funder is utilities. This campaign will help Cleveland Tree Coalition show that our community demands trees and will help local organizations secure a permanent source of funding.