Tree and Habitat Protection - Carbon Sequestration
Trees, particularly mature trees, act as a vital Carbon Sink, drawing down and storing Carbon Dioxide and other Greenhouse Gases (GHG's). For this reason it is essential that we protect both urban trees and our Thurston County Forests.
Urban Trees and Tree Equity
A Tree Equity Score (TES) refers to the idea that there are enough trees in any given neighborhood for everyone in that neighborhood or municipality to benefit from the ecosystem services trees provide: clean air, clean water, climate risk reduction (heating and cooling). TES calculates scores based on how much tree canopy and surface temperature align with income, employment, race, age and health factors in the U.S.
All too often maps of tree coverage in U.S. neighborhoods map income and race, meaning that there are usually less trees, and less canopy cover in neighborhoods that are low-income and/or predominantly inhabited by Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC). Inequities in urban tree canopy cover is a prime example of how Environmental Racism manifests. Working for tree equity is one way that we fight for Climate Justice.