Tree Canopies
Trees are Good for the Environment and People
Salem Sound Coastwatch is a champion for trees. We are pleased to be part of Salem’s Greening the Gateway Cities Program that is planting trees in Salem’s environmental justice neighborhoods to reduce energy use and costs, cool neighbors, and improve the health conditions for people and the environment
What Trees Provide
As climate change continues to progress, the risk of severe heat and unpredictable weather events increases. Expanding our canopy cover in urbanized areas is an action we can take to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change. Canopy cover is the layer of leaves, branches, and stems of trees above ground, providing shade.
How canopy cover helps urban environments:
- Reduce temperature
- Decrease energy costs
- Reduce air pollution
- Improve overall human health
- Reduce flooding
- Maintain healthy waterways
Cool Our Air
By planting trees and expanding our urban canopy, we can reduce the air temperature during warmer months. Tree canopies provide shade, which can be up to 20-45° cooler than unshaded areas. It is important to plant trees along streets and parking lots, as it minimizes the amount of heat reflecting from these surfaces. Trees undergo a process called evapotranspiration, where water is absorbed through the tree’s roots and is later released as vapor through the leaves. As water goes from a liquid to a gas, it cools the air around it.
Prevent Flooding
Tree canopy increases the amount of surface area water contacts before reaching the ground. During heavy rain fall, water is intercepted by the canopy and slowly drips to the ground, minimizing the risk of flash flooding events. In addition, trees absorb large quantities of water. For example, 100 mature trees absorb up to 200,000 gallons of rainwater a year. For this reason, trees can be used as a sustainable urban drainage system that is self-sustaining and cost efficient.
Human Health
Not only do trees help our environment, but they help human health as well. A decrease in air pollution reduces the number of allergens in the air and reduces irritations. Studies have shown that the increase in greenery in cities increases mental health and can increase human interactions.
How to Take Care of Your New Tree
Keeping Your Tree Healthy
Salem Greening the Gateways Cities Program
The city of Salem has been selected to receive free trees as a part of the state’s Greening the Gateway Cities program to increase urban canopy in Environmental Injustice neighborhoods. Salem Sound Coastwatch is the city’s non-profit partner for this program, helping to spread the word of our city’s participation and to continue to encourage people who live in Salem’s designated planting zone to have free trees planted.
The trees are planted by trained professionals during April-June and September-November. If you live or own land in the planting zone, you qualify to have a DCR Forester visit your property for a consultation. They will help you choose trees from a variety of species, with different heights and widths to best suit your land and maintenance requirements.
Salem has planted 948 trees out of the 2,400 goal.
Check out if you qualify for free trees in your yard to help us reach this goal!
Follow Salem Greening Gateway on Facebook
The Greening the Gateway Cities Program (GGCP) is a state-funded initiative designed by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA), Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), Department of Energy Resources (DOER), and the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). Its goal is to increase the tree canopy cover in urban neighborhoods throughout the Commonwealth for the purpose of reducing cooling and heating energy use, lowering energy costs, and improving environmental health conditions
