Equitable Reforestation Initiative

Working towards a more equitable future

TreeFolks’ Equitable Reforestation Initiative helps grow more trees in Central Texas communities that need them most. We work with neighbors, local leaders, and partners to understand each place and choose the best ways to increase tree canopy.

This work helps create cooler streets, cleaner air, healthier creeks, and stronger neighborhoods. It also helps communities prepare for extreme heat, storms, floods, and other effects of climate change.

Through this initiative, TreeFolks brings together our core programs: Community Tree Planting, NeighborWoods, Reforestation, and our Seeds-to-Trees Native Nursery. Together, these programs help plant and care for trees across Central Texas, from neighborhood streets to creekside forests.

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Trees are more than shade. They are protection, healing, and hope for the future.

Source: American Forests, Tree Equity Score Analyzer

Service Area

TreeFolks’ Equitable Reforestation Initiative serves Central Texas, with a special focus on East Austin and eastern Travis County.

Some parts of our work reach a large region. For example, our floodplain reforestation projects support landowners across seven counties. Our free tree adoption events are also open to the public.

At the same time, our main focus is on Austin neighborhoods with low tree canopy and high need. Many of these areas have had fewer public and private investments over time. Because of this, they often have fewer trees, hotter streets, and fewer green spaces.

Where the tree canopy is low, the heat is higher. TreeFolks works to change that.

 

To guide this work, TreeFolks uses trusted tools like the City of Austin’s Community Tree Priority Map and American Forests’ Tree Equity Score. These tools show where trees are needed most by looking at tree canopy, heat, income, health, and other community factors.

But data is only part of the story. TreeFolks also listens to community members. Their voices help us understand what each neighborhood needs and where trees can make the biggest difference.

Community Needs

TreeFolks is committed to focusing our resources in neighborhoods that have been left out of past investment. Many of these neighborhoods are in Austin’s Eastern Crescent and are home to many families with lower incomes and many communities of color.

This history did not happen by accident. Austin’s 1928 development plan legally separated the city along the IH-35 corridor. Later zoning decisions placed industrial uses across much of East Austin. Over time, these decisions led to fewer trees, less green space, and hotter neighborhoods in many communities of color.

Today, the difference is clear. Many East Austin neighborhoods have much less tree canopy than West Austin. Some also have average surface temperatures that are 5°F or more above the citywide average.

That heat affects daily life. It can raise energy bills, increase air pollution, make outdoor spaces less safe, and lead to more heat-related illnesses.

A tree can cool a street. A grove can strengthen a neighborhood. A healthier canopy can help a whole community breathe easier.

Recent disasters have made this work even more urgent. The sudden microburst storm in May 2025 and the devastating floods on July 4, 2025, damaged and uprooted trees across Central Texas. These events showed how much our communities depend on healthy trees and strong natural systems.

When disasters happen, not every family has the same ability to recover. Some residents have fewer resources to repair damage, relocate, or rebuild quickly. That is why increasing tree canopy in the places that need it most is so important.

TreeFolks’ Equitable Reforestation Initiative helps address these needs by planting trees, growing native species, restoring damaged landscapes, and working with communities toward a cooler, healthier, and more resilient Central Texas.