Press Release  In Celebration of Arbor Day, Healey-Driscoll Administration Announces New Program to Expand Tree Plantings in Environmental Justice Communities

Chicopee — In celebration of Arbor Day, Governor Maura Healey today announced a new program to complement the successful Greening the Gateway Cities program (GGCP) called Cooling Corridors, which will expand tree planting in environmental justice communities across Massachusetts. Governor Healey was joined by Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Rebecca Tepper, Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Commissioner Brian Arrigo, and Chicopee Mayor John L. Vieau at the Stefanik Elementary School in Chicopee to celebrate the 40,000th GGCP planted tree and announce the new Cooling Corridors program. GGCP operates in 23 of 26 Gateway Cities across the state to increase the urban tree canopy, and the Cooling Corridors Program will expand this work to include cities and towns outside of those 26 designated Gateway Cities.  

“There’s no better way to celebrate Earth Week and Arbor Day than to get out in the community and plant a tree,” said Governor Maura Healey. “Our Greening the Gateway Cities Program and the new Cooling Corridors initiative help bring down the temperatures in urban areas, saving residents energy costs, increasing property values, and creating good-paying local jobs.” 

“Tree planting is the only energy efficiency program where almost all of the investments stay in the local economy through the hiring of local planting crews and planting of trees from local nurseries,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “By expanding this effort with Cooling Corridors, we’ll be able to reach more people in urban heat islands, while fostering local economic development as we do.” 

EEA’s new Cooling Corridors program will support municipalities, non-profits, and other organizations in their tree-planting initiatives. The program will specifically target walking routes in areas that suffer from extreme heat, such as urban heat islands and hotspots, within environmental justice neighborhoods. Cooling Corridors will prioritize projects that help reduce local heat sinks, facilitate urban heat mitigation, and increase the regional tree canopy. 

“Every tree we plant today is a down payment on cooler temperatures in the years to come,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “Our tree canopy provides energy efficiency for entire communities. Launching the Cooling Corridors program will help us better target environmental justice communities outside of Gateway Cities that are contending with extreme heat and poor air quality. We’re excited to launch this program today, alongside Chicopee students and residents who will reap the benefits of these beautiful new trees.” 

“We're thrilled to celebrate Arbor Day by marking a milestone 40,000 trees planted through our Greening the Gateway Cities Program that helps us shield our urban areas from extreme heat,” said DCR Commissioner Brian Arrigo. “This achievement underscores our commitment to building healthy communities across Massachusetts by creating more urban tree canopies and green spaces.” 

“We appreciate Governor Healey planting these trees with our Stefanik students.  It will make an impression on them and someday they will tell their children that the shade they enjoy is from a tree planted by them as a first grader. These trees will serve as a lasting symbol of our hope for the future,” said Mayor of Chicopee John Vieau.  

"We're thrilled to take part in this event, celebrating the achievements of the Greening the Gateway Cities program. General John J. Stefanik School was honored to plant the 40,000th tree, showing our support for this initiative. Hosting this ceremony at our school fills us with pride, and we were delighted to welcome so many visitors. The expansion of this program, along with the introduction of Cooling Corridors, reaffirms our dedication to creating sustainable urban environments and enhancing the quality of life for all Chicopee residents. At Stefanik, our stars truly shine the brightest,” said Gen. John J. Stefanik Memorial School Principal Amanda L. Theriault. 

The GGCP is a partnership between EEA, DCR’s Urban & Community Forestry Program, the Department of Energy Resources (DOER), and the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC), along with gateway cities and local grassroots organizations. These tree planting efforts help decrease the urban heat island effect, reduce energy use, address flooding from stormwater runoff, and improve the quality of life in these cities. The program began in Chelsea, Holyoke, and Fall River. Since then, the program has expanded into 23 of the original 26 gateway cities. GGCP plants trees in Environmental Justice areas within gateway cities that generally have lower tree canopy, older housing, and larger renter populations. The program is currently active in Barnstable, Brockton, Chelsea, Chicopee, Everett, Fall River, Fitchburg, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Leominster, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, New Bedford, Pittsfield, Quincy, Revere, Salem, Springfield, Taunton, Westfield, and Worcester.  

Trees are planted by DCR’s Bureau of Forestry and Urban & Community Forestry crews hired from their local communities. The program plants trees ranging from six feet to 10 feet in height with a goal of covering five percent of the target neighborhoods in new tree canopy cover. Trees are planted from April to June in the spring, and from September to November in the fall, weather permitting. In high-density urban neighborhoods, planting an average of 5 trees per acre (roughly one third of a block) will provide benefits to 15-25 households, depending on building density. Planting this number of trees will increase canopy by an estimated 1% in eight years and 5% in 30 years.  

Tree planting is an important strategy as the climate warms. Between 1971 and 2000, the Commonwealth experienced four days with temperatures over 90°F. By midcentury, it is expected to experience between 10 and 28 such days. Environmental justice populations are particularly at risk from extreme temperature–related health effects because they reside in temperature hotspots.Trees near a home directly shade structures, significantly lowering surface temperatures, while trees up to 1,500 feet away from a home still provide a benefit. Additionally, in the winter months, mature tree trunks and branches help to randomize wind patterns and decrease heat loss by air infiltration in poorly insulated homes. 

For more information regarding the Greening the Gateway Cities Program, please visit the program’s webpage. 

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