In a new post on Treehugger.com, entitled “Communities of Color Have Fewer Trees—This ‘Tree Equity’ Score Wants to Change That”, the City of Richmond is mentioned as a partner in this scoring endeavor.

We can be proud that Oregon Hill, despite being densely developed, scored an admirable 86 points. The score for Monroe Park and the surrounding VCU area is a measly 65.

This should come as no surprise. Neighbors have mentioned this before, even as VCU, the Science Museum, the Valentine Museum have all brought up the disparities in the context of ‘heat islands’ (of course, some Oregon Hill neighbors brought up locally the environmental heat island effects decades before, only to be scoffed at, before they came into vogue with the current social justice set). What these institutions refuse to address is how Monroe Park was purposefully and cruelly de-forested under the Monroe Park ‘Conservancy’ lease.

This is something that should be discussed more publicly, but doesn’t look like it will be with a current City Council that would rather have a desert in Monroe Park as long as the City skates on the cost of maintenance. Councilperson Lynch’s answers to recent inquiries about this are very disappointing- there is no sense of alarm or accountability.

On a more positive note, applications will open on July 1 to become a certified Richmond Tree Steward.

The application window will close Aug. 15 and they will notify successful applicants within a week. The $150 cost for the course must be paid before the first class.
Proof of COVID-19 vaccination will be required at the first meeting.

Here is the link: https://richmondtreestewards.org/support/become-a-tree-steward/