Image contributed | Of the 2,200 tree target that Tree Fresno hopes to reach by 2027, 1,700 will be 15-gallon, commercial-style trees. 500 additional trees will be distributed through the nonprofit’s “Adopt a Tree” program.

Within the vast expanse of urban jungle that is Central Fresno, a local nonprofit is taking steps to improve air quality, health and the overall beauty of the city through its coordination with local businesses.

Tree Fresno, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, has announced a program aimed at beautifying South Central Fresno by planting 2,200 trees by 2027. The nonprofit has already partnered with several Fresno businesses including Heartland Compass, Fowler Packing, JD Food, Producer’s Dairy and the Fresno Chamber of Commerce to plant trees in and around their business grounds.

With support from a grant received from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District in 2023, Tree Fresno has committed to planting the 2,200 trees — 1,700 of which being 15-gallon, commercial-style trees. An additional 500 trees will be distributed through the organization’s “Adopt a Tree” program that local residents can participate in.

Lofty goals

Tree Fresno has focused on increasing the amount of green space available in the Central Valley, planting more than 53,000 trees in the region since its founding in 1985.

“Tree Fresno has a focus on working with our traditional partners like schools and public agencies like CalTrans,” said Mona Nyandoro Cummings, CEO of Tree Fresno. “Now we have kind of a new initiative, and that is working with businesses that are located in this area of South Central Fresno.”

 

Central Fresno lacks sufficient green space, a concern that has been raised by many environmentally conscious residents for years. Numerous highways, industrial businesses and geographic conditions in Valley contribute to poor air quality — something that a natural canopy of trees has the potential to help clean up.

Tree Fresno hopes to mitigate this issue through their tree planting program, specifically focusing on South Central Fresno from McKinley Avenue all the way to American Avenue and various city spaces in between.

Picking the right trees

Tree Fresno is selective in the trees that it plants largely due to the climate of the region.

“Because of our environmental conditions and the geographic makeup of the area, we do have a very dry climate,” Nyandoro Cummings said. “We utilize a wide variety of California natives…that includes those that are indigenous to Southern California.”

Nyandoro Cummings added that the organization also incorporates trees from Mexico, where climate conditions in some regions resemble those of the Central Valley.

The nonprofit also utilizes Cal Poly’s “SelecTree” tool, using it to identify species in their target zone — trees that grow 25 feet or taller, provide extensive shade and require minimal water and maintenance.

Tree Fresno provides everything from analysis to the physical planting of the tree, performing property-appropriate evaluations on everything from available arboreal space to the potential irrigation required to sustain the trees selected for planting.

While some required landscaping alteration and irrigation installation costs may fall to the property owner, Tree Fresno provides its services free of charge, from finding and recommending the appropriate species of tree to the physical planting of the tree.

Tree Fresno has also worked with the City of Fresno, in particular, partnering with the Beautify Fresno program, a city-wide program aimed at improving the appearance of the city.

“We focus on the planting of new urban trees and heading the partnership with entities in the community and teaching them how to maintain and care for them in the future,” Nyandoro Cummings said. “That’s why it’s so important to have reliable partners that will promise to take care of these trees into the future.”

Stretching for the sky

With Tree Fresno’s 40th anniversary this year, the nonprofit organization looks to celebrate by not only beautifying the region, but also by thanking the countless supporters and volunteers who have helped throughout the years.

“For Tree Fresno, the significance of the 40th really encapsulates the experience of people from the community. They started this organization because they realized that the tree was actually a simple solution to a lot of our most complicated problems here in the Valley,” Nyandoro Cummings said. “We would not have been this successful, as such a small organization, except that our volunteers come out in droves to plant trees in our communities.”

Nyandoro Cummings added that community members interested in volunteering to plant trees — or interested in inquiring about trees for their business or property — can reach out to Tree Fresno directly via phone or social media.

 

She added that the organization will host a community meeting on March 6 from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at OK Produce at 1888 S. East Ave., in Fresno, for businesses to learn more and see if they qualify to receive free trees to help beautify their property.

Businesses can also visit the Valley Air District’s website to see if their business falls within the zone targeted by Tree Fresno’s tree-planting program.

“It kind of gets us a little closer to nature and it makes us all a little bit happier to see some green space,” she said.