This story has been updated.
San Antonio this week became the first city in Texas recognized as a Tree City of the World.
The Tree Cities of the World program is a partnership between the Arbor Day Foundation and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Created in 2019, the program recognizes cities committed to ensuring their urban forests and trees are, “properly maintained, sustainably managed, and duly celebrated.”
A city is recognized if it meets five core values: establishing responsibility for city trees; setting and executing policies and regulations that safeguard trees; developing an inventory of the city’s trees; allocating resources for tree care; and celebrating achievements.
Mayor Ron Nirenberg said the recognition validates the city’s 20-year effort to protect tree canopy through policies like the tree ordinance, which protects trees on private property during development, and land conservation efforts. Repeated attempts by legislators to rip those protections away make it even more important for San Antonio to preserve tree canopy in the community, he said.
“[Trees] protect our health and has innumerable environmental benefits,” Nirenberg said. “We have and will continue to allocate resources and policy efforts to advance the protection of our trees in the future.”
Being named a Tree City of the World connects San Antonio to other cities that are investing in urban forests and holds the city accountable to its commitment to the trees.
For 2022, Tree Cities of the World recognized 170 cities in 21 countries. In the United States, 39 cities were recognized, including Boulder, Colorado; Beaverton, Oregon; and New York City. For the full list, click here.
San Antonio, which has been a Tree City of the USA for eight years, has about 143 million trees, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service My City’s Trees. You can find a selection of trees in the River Walk area, including the Ben Milam Cypress, tulip trees, willow oaks, and mature catalpas, and oak trees at the gardens at The Alamo, said City Forester Michael Holinsky.
This year, the city allocated $3 million in the fiscal budget for tree planting, putting about $800,000 in planting street trees, where they are the most valuable, said Holinsky. The city will spend just under $1.2 million in park trees and $1.1 million for trees along greenway trails.
Holinsky said ongoing tree planting projects and tree maintenance work over the past fiscal year inspired the creation of a new urban forestry division under the Parks and Recreation Department. A team of horticulturists and project managers were hired to get extra trees across the city.
The city is also in the early stages of developing its own tree inventory to focus on maintenance, said Holinsky.
Neighborhoods with lower equity scores, greater heat islands and reduced tree canopies are being selected for tree installations. A resident of a selected neighborhood may request to have one tree planted on their property at no cost to them.
“We are installing this tree on private property, but it is still a community benefit, because that tree will grow to maturity,” he said about planting trees on residents’ property.
But it’s not just about planting trees, Holinsky said. Proper infrastructure is necessary for trees to have a long life.
“The benefits of a tree grows exponentially as the tree itself grows,” Holinsky said. “That’s the goal, invest a little bit more, and we’ll have trees on the landscape, hopefully for generations to come, providing benefit for a very long time.”
The city will apply annually for the recognition and will be audited each year to ensure it qualifies.
Holinsky said improving San Antonio’s urban forest benefits everyone, including overall health. According to Tree Cities of the World, it also contributes to food and nutrition security, creates jobs and supports climate change mitigation.
The city will celebrate Texas Arbor Day on Nov. 4 at the Mission Marquee Plaza, where the community may learn about trees and participate in a tree giveaway.
This story has been updated to correct the name of City Forester Michael Holinsky.
