Urban Forest Initiative

Urban Forest refers to all of the trees in the City. Trees are an important tool in combating climate change because they remove carbon from the atmosphere and produce oxygen. They also provide shade which helps make the City cooler and reduces the need for air conditioning. The City of Lowell is committed to expanding its urban forest.

What the City is doing:

What YOU can do:

  • If you own property in Lowell and would like to help by planting trees in your yard, please reach out to openspace@lowellma.gov to discuss which species would be the best fit for your space and your needs
  • You may qualify for free trees through the State's Greening the Gateway Cities Program (GGCP). To learn more and to see if you qualify, please visit www.maurbancanopy.org
  • Don't own property? Talk to your landlord or property manager about the benefits of planting trees!

Urban Forest Facts:

  • Trees reduce heat 6-10 degrees, and large, shady parks reduce heat 10-20 degrees. (The Heat Is On: The Trust for Public Land Special Report, The Trust for Public Land,2020, 7.)
  • Tree cover reduces asthma rates. Children in leafy neighborhoods are 3 times less likely to have asthma than children who live in neighborhoods with few trees. (Lovasi GS and Quinn JW, et al, Children living in areas with more street trees havelower prevalence of asthma, Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, July 2008, 62(7):647–649.)
  • Urban trees in the U.S. remove 711,000 tons of air pollution annually, at a value of $3.8 billion, saving money and improving health. (Nowak DJ, Crane DE, and Stevens JC, Air pollution removal by urban trees and shrubs in the United States, USDA Forest Service, Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 2006, 4:115–123.)

Resources:

Habitat Icons_Urban Forest
Urban Forest