Save the Date for
Two Community Events
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23rd Annual Palo Alto Mayor's Tree Planting &
Awards Ceremony
Join us to welcome Palo Alto's incoming Mayor with a special ceremonial tree planting, followed by a reception and presentation of the 2019 Canopy Tree Awards.
Thursday, January 24, 2019
5:15pm to 7:30pm
El Palo Alto Room, Mitchell Park Community Center
3700 Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto
The Mayor's tree planting ceremony begins at 5:15pm.
Following refreshments, the Canopy Tree Awards will commence at 6:30pm.
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4th Annual MLK Day of Service and East Palo Alto
Mayor's Tree Planting
Celebrate MLK Day of Service with Canopy! Join Canopy, Grassroots Ecology, and the San Francisquito Joint Powers Authority as we create new habitat for local pollinators and bird species at the recently reopened entry points of the Bay Trail in East Palo Alto.
Monday, January 21, 2019
9:00am to 12:30pm
Meet at Martin Luther King Park
435 Daisy Ln, East Palo Alto
We’ll also be honoring East Palo Alto’s incoming Mayor, Lisa Gauthier, with a ceremonial tree planting. Contact
katie@canopy.org
to RSVP to attend the Mayor’s tree planting ceremony (use the button below to sign up to volunteer at the general planting).
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Community Forestry School
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Join us this coming spring for Canopy’s second semester of the Community Forestry School!
We invite you to learn about trees and urban forestry, as well as Canopy’s programs and the ways you can work side-by-side with us to remedy local inequities in tree canopy cover and access to urban nature.
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Spring 2019 workshops:
Community Forestry 101
February 2, 2019 | 10:00am - 2:00pm
Learn the fundamentals of urban forestry and the ways
to be involved in Canopy’s programs.
Engaging Youth in the Urban Forest
March 16, 2019 | 10:00am - 2:00pm
Learn about the landscape of environmental education in California
and train to be an education volunteer at Canopy.
Structural Pruning Basics
April 6, 2019 | 10:00am - 2:00pm
Learn the art, science, and skill of young tree pruning.
Get to Know our Native Oaks
May 18, 2019 | 10:00am - 2:00pm
Learn about the history and ecology of native oaks in California
and train to survey native oaks in Palo Alto.
Celebration for Community Foresters
June 8, 2019 | 12:30pm - 2:30pm
Gather with community members, friends, and neighbors as we
thank our volunteers--you!--for learning and working with us!
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This month, we're featuring Geoff Paulsen, board member since 2014 and chair of Canopy’s Advocacy Committee.
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Canopy: What inspires you most about Canopy’s work?
Geoff Paulsen: Canopy inspires me because we connect with the community. Whether it's classroom education, hiring under-resourced students, or involving the whole family in a tree planting, we weave trees into the fabric of the community. Trees become part of the children's experience, and part of the community's soul. And that makes all the difference. A drone can plant 100,000 a day, but we plant passion. A drone can't do that.
Also, Canopy embodies quality. Whether it's planting trees carefully, caring for them as they grow, or hiring and nurturing a great cadre of staff and volunteers, I really appreciate the care Canopy demonstrates at every turn.
C: Why do you care about trees?
GP: Like many of you, my love of trees grew from childhood. Growing up on a 2,400 acre ranch in the Palo Alto hills, I felt the rough bark of the oaks that I climbed, I heard the roar of storms ripping through their branches, and I marveled at the gentle grace of the butterflies that called them home. I learned the importance of preserving trees when, at the age of five, my grandmother persuaded my grandfather to preserve 1,400 acres of the ranch for Foothills Park.
Later, I learned the importance of trees at Humboldt State University as I got my undergraduate degree in natural resources planning and interpretation. I continued to learn as a park ranger and open space planner. One of my specialties is prescribed fire, which I still practice on a 400-acre forest my family owns in Mendocino County. A meadow we burned is now dotted with valley oak seedlings.
Then, as I studied public administration in grad school at the University of San Francisco and worked in public health and planning, I learned about the importance of the urban forest. For although vast forests benefit the planet, the trees nearby become our friends-giving us shade from the heat, fragrance after the rain, and a voice for the breezes that tousle our hair.
But perhaps what I care most about is using my gifts to help others experience trees as I did—from childhood to a more advanced stage of youth.
C: What is your favorite tree?
GP: There's an old valley oak in a friend's meadow in Mendocino County. We call it "The Big Oak Tree." It fed generations of the Witok'um people who danced in its shade. To me, the tree represents generosity (feeding thousands), beauty (it is awesome), and endurance (it has seen all the eras of California's human history pass beneath its enormous limbs).
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Join Us in 2019 for a Tree Walk
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Greenmeadow
Saturday, January 12, 2019
Gamble Garden (in Chinese & English)
Saturday, February 9, 2019
Barron Park
SUNDAY, March 10, 2019
Bell Street Park (in Spanish)
Saturday, April 13, 2019
University South
Saturday, May 11, 2019
Edible Urban Forest Walk
Saturday, June 8, 2019
Cuesta Park (Mountain View)
Saturday, July 13, 2019
East Palo Alto (in Spanish & English)
Saturday, August 10, 2018
Midtown
Saturday, September 14, 2019
Stanford
Saturday, October 12, 2019
Pioneer Memorial Park (Mountain View)
Saturday, November 9, 2019
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Tree walks are led by tree experts every second Saturday, 10am - 12pm. One walk each year is led on a Sunday. For the most up-to-date details, check our
calendar
.
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Meet Canopy volunteer, Jenny Wei!
Jenny is one of Canopy’s most prolific and dedicated volunteers. Since 2013, she has been involved with many of Canopy’s programs. From tree plantings to events, education to tree surveying, she’s just about done it all! Jenny was a planting leader at Casey Trees in her former home of Washington D.C. before she found Canopy upon her arrival to the Bay Area.
Her attentive and inclusive approach to leading volunteers helps her to spread her passion for a healthy urban forest to other Canopy volunteers. We asked Jenny a few questions about what keeps her coming back to Canopy, and what connects her to community forestry.
How did you first become involved with Canopy?
Jenny
: I started working with canopy in February 2013. I had just moved to California a few weeks prior from Washington DC, where I had just become a planting leader. My first volunteering day was at Costaño School in East Palo Alto and was really tiny (only 4 volunteers) so I got to chat a lot with Canopy staff. I really can’t image how I would have put down roots (pun intended) in California without Canopy.
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Are you a Canopy volunteer or interested in volunteering?
We invite you to sign up to receive the latest updates from Volunteer Wire, a monthly email that shares upcoming volunteer opportunities with Canopy.
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Tree Spotlight: Silver birch
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The silver birch (
Betula pendula
)
is both strikingly beautiful and rich in story. Known for its bright white bark, the silver birch is ubiquitous in Europe and Asia and now in parks in the United States.
The tree is rooted in European culture through everything from paper making and Celtic mythology, to common medicine. The silver birch is a beautiful reminder of mankind’s shared history with and reliance on trees.
Thank you to Galyna Vakulenko of the Rhee Lab at Carnegie Institution for Science for preparing this post.
Note:
Canopy does not recommend planting the silver birch in the Midpeninsula as it requires ample watering to keep the tree healthy. To learn more about trees that Canopy recommends to plant, see our Trees to Plant Now articles
here
and
here
.
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Real vs Artificial Christmas Trees
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Which is greener, real or artificial Christmas trees? Karen Zraick dissects some of the claims made on both sides of the great debate in this New York Times article. Is cutting down real trees always bad for the environment? Does reusing an artificial tree really balance out the environmental impact of its production? Read on and decide for yourself!
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Community Forestry Manager
Canopy is seeking a hard working, dedicated person to join our team and grow with us as we aim to accomplish our vision. The ideal candidate will have experience in either community organizing or urban forestry, and will develop a passion for both over time.
Help us spread the word!
We encourage Canopy friends to share the
job announcement
with folks in their network.
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Thank You for Supporting Canopy
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You can still join the giving movement with a year-end gift.
to support healthy trees and healthy communities.
Thanks to everyone who makes our work possible!
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December Tree Gifts & Dedications
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Kimo and Annie Hempstead
In honor of Sari Aizley
Len and Mary Ely
In honor of David Collins
Wallace Mersereau
In memory of Marian Cortesi
Laura Martinez
In honor of Fernando Costa
Betsy Gifford
In honor of Marty Deggeller
Susan Mendelsohn and Robert Flanagan
In memory of David Hettig
Amos Irwin
In memory of Joan Marx
Emmy Smith
In honor of Joan Marx
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Linda and Richard Elder
In memory of Joan Marx
Sue Luttner and Jerome Coonen
In memory of Joan Marx
Sally O’Neil and Ken Bencala
In honor of Joan Marx
Lynnie and Joe Melena
In honor of Joan Marx
Bob Meltzer
In honor of Betty Meltzer
Stepheny McGraw
In honor of Susan Rosenberg
Ronda Macchello
In dedication to Nicholas Taylor
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Special thank you to our Grantors:
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Support Canopy while you shop with AmazonSmile!
Do you shop on Amazon? When you shop through
AmazonSmile
, you can support Canopy with every purchase!
Learn how
.
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Canopy's mission is to grow the urban forest in Midpeninsula communities for the benefit of all. Our vision is a day when every resident of the Midpeninsula can step outside to walk, play, and thrive under the shade of healthy trees.
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