Urban forestry accelerator aims to boost green infrastructure, economic growth in Phoenix

From seeking out the best parking spot to shuffling for that one thin stretch of shadow while waiting for an unhurried crosswalk signal, many Arizona residents understand a common feeling: Under the heat of the summer sun, shade is invaluable.

Providing that shade through urban forestry, the management of trees in urban populations, is something that directly impacts how communities interact with their surroundings. 

A new three-year project at Arizona State University — in partnership with community-based organizations, municipalities, industry partners and national organizations — will work directly with Valley residents to co-create actionable neighborhood urban forestry plans while supporting economic growth.

The Greater Phoenix Urban Forestry Accelerator is a $5 million Justice40 Initiative funded by the USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program, part of the Inflation Reduction Act. Led by the Walton Sustainability Solutions Service at ASU, it will kickstart the creation of customized community forestry plans through a series of neighborhood-based workshops that put residents at the forefront of the planning process.

Along with the workshops, project officials will concurrently develop training materials for workforce development along the entire urban forestry value chain and create job and entrepreneurship opportunities.

But, "it’s not enough to simply put trees in the ground,” said Jen Clifton, assistant director of community economic development with the Walton Sustainability Solutions Service. 

Clifton said that while extreme heat impacts everyone in Arizona, it does not do so equally. Risk factors such as age, access to cooling, and health vulnerabilities can greatly change how individuals experience the same temperatures.

A neighborhood with trees and robust access to shade, for example, can be as much as 10 degrees cooler during the day and much more at night, said Clifton. However, not all communities have the resources to support this solution.

“We knew we would have to tackle two main priorities in order to sustain a natural solution like urban forestry,“ said Clifton, who is a project lead of the accelerator alongside Alicia Marseille, the senior director of the Walton Sustainability Solutions Service. “We need strong industry and infrastructure to support it, and we need to build that in a way that is oriented around equity and justice.”

The Greater Phoenix Urban Forestry Accelerator will focus the social, economic and environmental benefits in communities most impacted by heat — those without existing green infrastructure to cool their parks, sidewalks and neighborhoods. 

A key part of achieving this goal is community workshops, scheduled to take place in six Phoenix metro neighborhoods later this year.

“We are thrilled to partner with ASU on this transformative initiative,” said Lora Martens, manager of the city of Phoenix’s Urban Tree Program. “We believe that involving the community in tree planning is essential to cultivate not only a healthy urban forest, but also a stronger sense of belonging and stewardship among residents.”

The workshops will take place in Phoenix, Guadalupe, Tempe and Mesa, with up to two workshops per neighborhood. Discussions in these workshops will include topics such as neighborhood priorities; public plantable areas; shade coverage; irrigation; stormwater management; immediate actionable opportunities; and the long-term maintenance and survivability of the trees.

“Investing in neighborhoods to create healthier environments, develop economic opportunities and be better stewards is a big ask — and we need all hands on deck,” said Tawsha Trahan, director of environmental justice at Unlimited Potential, a partner of the project. “This partnership is incredibly valuable because of the depth and breadth of knowledge and experience that is needed to meet the moment.”

Unlimited Potential aims to activate community engagement through education and advocacy opportunities.

“One of the values of these workshops is the connection to community members, especially those who may have otherwise been left out of these conversations,” Trahan said. “The people who may be the hardest to reach often have the most to gain.”

The second priority of this three-year project is to make the urban forestry industry as a whole more accessible. While there is plenty of demand for urban forestry jobs, Clifton said there is a “narrative issue” in attracting a workforce: Many potential workers may not know how to get a start or do not know what kind of jobs are even available.

“Part of this accelerator is being clear about how people can make their way into this industry and what pathways and worlds can open up as they do,” Clifton said. “In a way, we are offering a kind of ASU ‘gen-ed’ approach with hands-on learning opportunities with community and industry so people can really start to see themselves in these roles. Many urban forestry credentials have similar basic building blocks, so once someone learns those, it’s not just one career option that opens up, but several.”

In this first year of this project, the ASU team, industry leaders and community-based partners will create a comprehensive urban forestry program to create preprofessional on-ramps into thriving careers in urban forestry. This program will include experiential courses, stackable learning experiences, internships and apprenticeships across the urban forestry value chain to support the life cycle of a tree.

Qualified individuals will then be given opportunities to be hired for trainee positions in the urban forestry industry or for registered apprenticeships. These roles could be as a gardener, landscape technician, horticulturist, tree worker, water conservation technician, arborist or other roles across the urban forestry field.

One key focus of the accelerator program is attracting and supporting Spanish-speaking arborists. Bartlett Tree Experts, another partnering group in the program, will work with Unlimited Potential to develop and offer a culturally sustaining, desert-adapted arboriculture curriculum in Spanish. Bartlett Tree Experts, a tree-care company with more than 100 locations in North America and a training site in Mexico, will lead five 1.5-day training labs as part of the project.

“Bartlett Tree Experts is thrilled to join this grant initiative, dedicated to nurturing bilingual arborists for the future. Understanding the value of teaching in native languages and enriching the next generation's skills, we are excited to contribute to shaping a diverse and capable workforce,” said Bryant Sunderman, an arborist representative from Bartlett Tree Experts.