Zoo New England to Plant 2,000 Trees in Dorchester, Roxbury

Zoo New England has announced the launch of a major tree-planting initiative in Boston's Dorchester and Roxbury neighborhoods. It aims to plant 2,000 trees over the next three years to combat urban heat islands and promote public health.

The effort is a collaborative partnership involving five partner organizations: the Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center, Boston PowerCorps, Greater Grove Hall Main Street, Neighborhood Forest, and the Price Center.

Planting trees means more than simply providing additional foliage to these neighborhoods. The 2,000 new trees and shrubs Zoo New England hopes to cultivate through its partnership — approximately two to four acres of increased canopy — will result in the release of 23 tons of oxygen, according to a Bay State Banner report. Additionally, the trees would store nine tons of carbon and take up more than 47,000 gallons of water that will be released as water vapor, cooling the surrounding area through transpiration.

Before the end of the year, the zoo will construct a greenhouse to propagate and grow additional trees for planting in the soil of Dorchester and Roxbury.

Efforts to expand the tree canopy to parts of Boston like Dorchester and Roxbury aren't new. In 2023, the city received federal funds to support the planting and care of trees through its urban forest plan.

Determining how to acquire and manage tree canopy on various types of land — including city-owned, state-owned, and private lands — presents unique sets of challenges.

David Meshoulam, executive director at Speak for the Trees, a Dorchester-based nonprofit, is also concerned about tree canopy equity. He told the Bay State Banner that the zoo's initiative is good, but he cautions that the effort needs to involve more than simply giving people trees to plant. It's about ensuring “the right people are getting the right tree and putting it in the right place and supporting it in the right ways.”