Donna Bingham was in college on the very first Earth Day April 22, 1970. She remembers thinking the world was progressing in the right direction. Now, she says we’re moving backward.
“We’re not taking care of our environment,” Bingham said. “Like so many things, trees have become politicized because in low-income neighborhoods and so forth, there’s no shade a lot of times, and it’s just appalling to me.”
American Forests is a national nonprofit that measures urban tree canopies in neighborhoods across the U.S. The tree equity score takes demographic data like health, income and race into consideration. The less access to trees, the lower the score and the more investment an area might need.
Tulsa’s overall tree equity score is 85 out of a possible 100, about 10 points higher than Oklahoma City. Other parts of the Tulsa metro reach into the 90s. It varies by region, with downtown and east Tulsa having lower scores in the 60-70 range.
See how your neighborhood ranks.
Steve Grantham is the executive director at Up With Trees, a local nonprofit advancing Tulsa’s tree canopy since 1976. The organization has planted more than 40,000 trees over the years.
Some areas around Tulsa might have higher tree equity scores, Grantham says, but see less investment and development. In areas like east Tulsa, low soil quality could be a factor in having fewer trees. There’s certainly a disparity across the city, he says, but warns against blaming the trees instead of policies.
Research shows trees and access to public green space can improve health and reduce risks of certain diseases, according to Grantham.
“If we can make the community better, healthier, people can go to work or even their kids can go to school,” Grantham said. “I think it’s like a long-term trajectory of trying to fix a lot of social issues.”
Bingham grew up in Tulsa before moving away and returning to plant roots in midtown’s Renaissance neighborhood. She encouraged neighbors to plant trees and was disappointed when many didn’t replace trees lost in the 2007 ice storm.
“They make so many dwarf varieties now of trees for smaller yards, so you don’t have to plant a gigantic maple tree that might hurt your house,” Bingham said.
Beyond personal pleasure, she says we need trees for Tulsa’s bugs, birds and bees. Some of Bingham’s neighbors turned to Up With Trees to plant trees at a lower cost.
Up With Trees is starting their 3, 30, 300 initiative. The organization wants each Tulsan to see at least three trees from their window, have 30% tree canopy coverage in their neighborhood and live within 300 meters of a “quality green space.” They are giving away around 1,000 free trees this fall.
A free symposium for the 3, 30, 300 initiative is set for 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. April 30 at Centennial Center in Veterans Park. You can RSVP here.
Earth Day in Tulsa
If you’re looking for a way to commemorate Earth Day or just show a little support for the environment, check out the events below.
Mayo Demonstration School
3 p.m. April 22
Nathan Hale Library
4:30 p.m. April 22
Santa Fe Square Apartments
4:30 p.m. April 22
Tulsa Zoo
9 a.m. April 25
WILD about Earth Day! Educator Workshops
Oxley Nature Center
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 25
Community Clean-up and Cookout with The Oklahoma Eagle
B.C. Franklin Park
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 25
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