Greensboro reforestation project looks to plant trees equitably across city

Greensboro recently received an $825,000 grant by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that will help support a study of the city's tree canopy to make it more equitable.

Keeping the Green in Greensboro, NC: A Tree Canopy & Equity Prioritization is a five-year reforestation project supported by the federal grant. As part of the initiative, an assessment will be conducted on how much of the city is covered by trees.

Chief Sustainability Officer Shree Dorestant says this will help determine how to go about future planting, and where to prioritize.

"In 2018 there was a tornado that came through Greensboro and it destroyed a lot of trees," Dorestant says. "So, how do we go in and replenish the trees that were there? These are the things that will be in this kind of assessment."

The study will help create an equity prioritization tool to expand or restore the canopy in disadvantaged areas.

Dorestant says there hasn't been a similar comprehensive review since a Guilford County study in 2009. According to the report, around 38% of Greensboro was covered by trees at the time.

The reforestation project is expected to include a website for data, mapping and community engagement.