Saturday, April 18th was a good day for trees in North Philadelphia. Esperanza’s Housing and Economic Development division (EHED) led a spring tree planting in Hunting Park as part of a citywide initiative. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) provided on-site tree expertise, to ensure the planting was a success; lead support was provided by the William Penn Foundation. Esperanza is a proud partner of the Arbor Day Foundation; this program is made possible by partnership with the Arbor Day Founda and Truist Foundation.
Volunteers arrived bright and early at Esperanza’s Middle School cafeteria. It was diverse group, with volunteers from Esperanza Academy, Ursinus College, Action Tank, Independence Blue Cross (IBX), St. Christopher’s Hospital, and the Hunting Park and Feltonville Business Association. After checking in and having some breakfast from Café Tinto, a local bakery, volunteers were treated to a live tree planting demonstration provided by Esperanza staff, in English and Spanish. After the demonstration and a group photo, volunteers gathered with their assigned planting group, grabbed tools, and headed out to the planting sites.
In total, 50 trees were planted by almost 70 volunteers at the event; these trees were also watered and mulched. Esperanza’s tree planting was the largest planting across the whole city this season! It was also one of the few bilingual planting opportunities available (English/Spanish).
Trees are an important part of efforts in Hunting Park to fight extreme heat. Hunting Park is one of the hottest areas of city, with temperatures rising each summer. Tree coverage provides shade on those hot days and if there is enough coverage, can help to cool the neighborhood. Trees also help to purify and clean the air, making it healthier for residents to breathe. Nina Hang, a PHS staff member present at the planting told me that, “trees are lifesavers…so that’s why we do this.” Nicolo Montalto, a youth who volunteered added, “I’m here because I think that trees are a vital part of our community.”
High heat is only one of the many consequences of climate change. Poor air quality and extreme weather (like heavy rain and storms) are more frequent these days, as well as droughts, wildfires and flooding. An Esperanza Academy student told me that “the Earth is actively dying. We need to help.”
In addition to trees, Esperanza is developing a climate resilience plan for Hunting Park to help the community cope with the effects of climate change. The EHED team has been working with consultants to understand climate risk in Hunting Park by talking with and learning from residents, which will help inform the plan. Tree planting is one of the strategies that has emerged to address air quality and heat; other areas of interest are emergency preparedness and neighborhood leadership, and home repairs and energy burden reduction.
If you are interested in receiving a free tree from Esperanza, helping to plant trees as a volunteer, or want to learn more about climate resilience planning for Hunting Park, reach out to Morgan Doyle at Esperanza (267-710-5265 or mdoyle@esperanza.us).
