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News

Find the latest news about Buffalo Bayou Partnership and all the doings along Buffalo Bayou.

Nov 10

Houston Celebrates Texas Arbor Day by planting 600 trees at Buffalo Bend Nature Center

HOUSTON – The City of Houston planted 600 native trees today to kick off its new tree planting goal established by the City’s Resilient Houston strategy and Houston Climate Action Plan. The effort centered on communities with the highest rate of health conditions that can be worsened by pollution and climate change.

“Our goal of planting 4.6 million new native trees is the equivalent of two new trees for every Houstonian,” said Councilmember David Robinson. “As a resilient and sustainable city, we need to plant the seeds today for future generations to fully reap the benefits.”


From left to right: Loren Hopkins (City of Houston Health Dept.), Chris Sadler (Harris County Precinct Two), Council Member Robert Gallegos, Anne Olson, Council Member David Robinson, Deborah January-Bevers (Houston Wilderness), Marissa Aho (City of Houston Resiliency Office)

Representatives from the City of Houston, the newly formed Tree Strategy Implementation Group (TSIG), led by Houston Wilderness, Buffalo Bayou Partnership and approximately 100 volunteer tree-planters from Bank of Texas, Shell Oil, Dow Chemical, ALJ Lindsey and interested Houstonians participated in the event commemorating Texas Arbor Day at Buffalo Bend Nature Park.

“Trees improve our ability to combat many of the health, equity, climate, and built environment challenges that we face,” said Marissa Aho, Chief Resilience Officer. “These include helping to cool and shade in the face of urban and extreme heat, improving air quality and capturing carbon, supporting rich biodiversity, improving health and wellbeing, and enhancing the built environment.”

Houston’s Climate Action Plan focused on how the City’s tree planting goal will help restore, protect and enhance our natural ability to capture and store carbon to help mitigate climate change.

The area selected for the first 600 trees includes communities that experience twice the rate of cardiac arrest and six times the amount to asthma attacks compared to the rest of the city.

“This planting of native trees with the highest capacity to reap environmental benefits provides the opportunity to proactively address both climate change and its implications for health”, said Dr. Loren Hopkins, Chief Environmental Science Officer for the Houston Health Department. “Air pollutants absorbed by trees include nitrogen dioxide, ozone and particulate matter, all pollutants associated with increased risk of cardiac arrest and asthma attacks in Houston.” 



Planting 4.6 million new native trees in 10 years will need every Houstonian to play a role, but some local leaders have volunteered to begin coordinating implementation of this ambitious target with public and private partners.

“The Tree Strategy Implementation Group, comprised of all the major large-scale native tree planters in the region, came together in early 2020 to create a strategy to accomplish the planting of 4.6 million native trees by 2030,” said Deborah January-Bevers, President of Houston Wilderness. “Based on data analyzed by TSIG members to be most beneficial to the region, 40% of the native 4.6 million trees are targeted for Urban Heat Island areas with tree species with large leaf canopies, and 60% of the native trees are targeted for native ‘Super Trees’ species, such as the Live Oak, American Elm and Sycamore, Tuliptree, Maple and Ash trees and Loblolly Pine, that provide high levels of air pollution reduction, water absorption, erosion control and carbon sequestration.”

Resilient Houston also sets a target to conserve 24% of undeveloped regional land as natural spaces by 2040.

“We look forward to continuing to facilitate progress on the three key goals under the eight-county Gulf-Houston Regional Conservation Plan, which mirrors goals under the Resilient Houston Plan,” said Graciela Gilardoni, Houston Wilderness Board Member. “The City of Houston, Harris County and other regional partners recognize that the urban forest is a critical part of the resilience goals to benefit residents now and in generations to come.”


The Arbor Day tree planting was hosted by the Buffalo Bayou Partnership at their Buffalo Bend Nature Park.

“Buffalo Bayou Partnership worked with Harris County Precinct Two and other governmental agencies to acquire and develop this abandoned industrial property,” said Anne Olson, President of Buffalo Bayou Partnership, “And the 600 native Super Trees planted on November 6th are part of the transformation taking place on this riparian green space in Houston’s East End.”  

For press inquiries, email Karen Farber, BBP VP of External Affairs, or call 713.752.0314 ext. 353.

News Coverage

  • 15 Major Developments Headed for Houston in 2023 and Beyond Houston Chronicle, January 24, 2023
  • Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern Offers Inspiration and Reflection Beneath Houston Texas Highways Magazine, January 24, 2023
  • 36 Hours in Houston: Things to Do and See The New York Times, January 19, 2023
  • 11 Things You Must Do at Houston's Buffalo Bayou Park Chron.com, January 14, 2023
  • Rising in Houston: Projects to Look Forward to in 2023 and Beyond Greater Houston Partnership, January 4, 2023
  • Year in Review: Kinder Foundation Giving $100 Million to Buffalo Bayou Project was a Deal of the Week Houston Business Journal, December 22, 2022
  • Texas 100 List: Influential Professionals to Watch in 2023 Houston Business Journal, December 21, 2022
  • Top Exhibits in Houston This Month: December 2022 365 Things to Do, December 8, 2022
  • Listen: Buffalo Bayou East will transform East End. Why affordable housing is the first step. Looped In Podcast, December 1, 2022
  • Buffalo Bayou East breaks ground with affordable housing project Houston Chronicle, December 1, 2022
more

Press Releases

  • Buffalo Bayou Partnership Announces Kinder Foundation’s $100M Catalyst Gift to Accelerate Buffalo Bayou East Master Plan September 26, 2022
  • Buffalo Bayou Partnership Unveils New Cleanup Boat August 3, 2022
  • East Downtown Trail Opens to the Public June 14, 2022
  • Light Up the Night Along Buffalo Bayou East March 15, 2022
  • Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s Time No Longer Wins International Art Award September 22, 2021
  • Three Houston Parks Team Up to Celebrate the Legacy of Jazz in Houston with Free Concerts and a Series Spectacular Featuring Mavis Staples August 6, 2021
  • Houston Endowment Awards Buffalo Bayou Partnership $10M Grant December 9, 2020
  • Immersive Installation by Anri Sala in the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern November 23, 2020
  • Houston Celebrates Texas Arbor Day by planting 600 trees at Buffalo Bend Nature Center November 10, 2020
  • Carmen Herrera: Estructuras Monumentales (En Español) September 28, 2020
more

Monthly Newsletters

  • Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - January 2023 January 12, 2023
  • Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - December 2022 December 1, 2022
  • Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - November 2022 November 4, 2022
  • Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - October 2022 October 6, 2022
  • Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - September 2022 August 31, 2022
  • Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - August 2022 August 4, 2022
  • Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - July 2022 July 1, 2022
  • Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - June 2022 June 2, 2022
  • Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - May 2022 May 4, 2022
  • Buffalo Bayou eNewsletter - April 2022 April 6, 2022
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Banking on Buffalo Bayou

  • Banking on Buffalo Bayou - Summer 2021 June 2021
  • Banking on Buffalo Bayou - Winter 2020 January 2020
  • Banking on Buffalo Bayou - Spring 2019 May 2019
  • Banking on Buffalo Bayou - Winter 2019 January 2019
  • Banking on Buffalo Bayou - Summer 2018 July 2018
  • Banking on Buffalo Bayou - Summer 2017 August 2017
  • Banking on Buffalo Bayou - Spring 2017 March 2017
  • Banking on Buffalo Bayou - Winter 2016 December 2016
  • Banking on Buffalo Bayou - Summer 2016 July 2016
  • Banking on Buffalo Bayou - Spring 2016 March 2016
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