SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall officially kicked off her 1,000 Trees initiative on Arbor Day with a tree planting at Rosewood Park, 1400 North 1200 West. 25 Turkish Filbert and Redbud trees were added to the western edge of the park, bringing the total number of trees planted throughout Salt Lake City’s Westside Neighborhoods. 

“Environmental equity is really important to me. Our Westside residents and businesses endure the worst air quality in the City in addition to other disparities. Our tree-planting effort is one piece of a larger plan the City is undertaking with our partners to address such inequities,” Mayor Mendenhall said. “What’s more, this pandemic has proven how important our homes and neighborhoods are in our quality of life and natural beauty is a real part of that.” 

Tony Gliot, director of the City’s Urban Forestry Division, joined the Mayor and stressed the important role trees play in an urban ecology. 

“Trees have a tremendous, tangible impact on our communities. Between improving air quality, carbon sequestration, and energy savings, the trees of Salt Lake City’s urban forest return more than $5 million in benefits annually,” he said. “That’s in addition to the beauty, shade and wonderful feel they add.”

The Clark and Christine Ivory Foundation are key partners in the Mayor’s 1,000 Trees Initiative. Today they announced the launch of a voucher program to provide tree planting opportunities for Salt Lake City residents. Individuals and families can request a voucher to be exchanged at local nurseries. More information is available at www.ivorygreen.com.

As part of Friday’s Arbor Day celebration, the Mayor also issued a proclamation establishing April 24, 2020 as Arbor Day and dedicating the trees planted to the emergency responders on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis.

“I’m so appreciative of the frontline workers — especially the hundreds of City employees — who go to work each day to keep people safe and communities running,” Mayor Mendenhall said. 

City Urban Forest Facts

• After decades of removing more trees than it plants due to age, disease, and other reasons, the City is poised to plant two trees for every one tree that is removed in 2020.
• Salt Lake City parks and neighborhood streets are home to more than 86,900 trees
• So far this spring, the Urban Forestry Division has planted more than 700 trees
• The City has plans to plant at least 1,300 more trees this fall
• Salt Lake City has more than 30,000 vacant planting sites along its neighborhood streets.  A robust canopy of trees has a profound impact on the health and beauty of neighborhoods across the City.