Canopy

Canopy envisions a day when every resident of the Midpeninsula can step outside to walk, play, and thrive under the shade of healthy trees.

To accomplish this Canopy's long term goals include:

1) Play an active role in advocating for and planting climate-appropriate, site-appropriate trees in East Palo Alto, Belle Haven, North Fair Oaks, and Mountain View.
2) Increase the impact of our programs and expand our work in our designated service areas.
3) Collaborate with service area partners to attain the canopy coverage goals described in their Urban Forest Plans and other urban forestry documentation.
4) Encourage and facilitate residents to plant trees in their communities to increase the urban forest canopy.
5) Maintain the active youth environmental education program to grow and inspire the next generation of environmental stewards and advocates.

Canopy integrates the following four independent strategies:
- Engage residents in tree planting, tree care, and advocacy.
- Educate communities about the critical importance of urban trees and how to increase and sustain tree canopy cover.
- Steward trees and relationships with community members to sustain and expand local urban forests.
- Advocate to increase tree canopy and environmental equity by building/leading local community coalitions and alliances.

Canopy has the track-record, credibility, partnerships and capabilities to share its tree planting and education programs with local communities that lack urban tree canopies and environmental-science education.
Executive Director: Establishes relationships with key partners including school board members, district superintendents and principals, and community partners.
Senior Program Director: Develops planting plans for schools, coordinates plans with administrative and facilities personnel, and incorporates educational and advocacy goals into all planting activities.
Program Coordinators: Helps coordinate planting activities, manages the Canopy Youth Staff, and manages the tree care program that follows planting, including workdays.
Advocacy Associate: This new position will focus efforts on advocacy goals and build relationships with partners and stakeholders.
Canopy Youth Staff: Help with all planting and tree care activities including leading volunteer groups.
ISA certified arborists: Provide additional support for the selection of optimal tree species

With the help of all of our partners and supporters, here's what we accomplished in 2022:
- Hosted 19 community tree planting events across 4 Midpeninsula cities.
- Planted 424 trees in Midpeninsula schools, parks, and neighborhoods to increase canopy cover.
- Tended and surveyed 2,957 young trees to ensure they establish and thrive.
- Collaborated with partners like San Francisco Estuary Institute and Grassroots Ecology to create greener urban spaces that increase biodiversity, benefit wildlife, people, and our regional ecosystems.
- 2,234 students explored trees through hands-on lessons
- 39 paid Teen Urban Forester internship positions for high school students
- 1,750 volunteers donated 6,000 hours valued at close to $176,000