AMERICAN FORESTS JOINS THE SMART SURFACES COALITION
17 November 2020
Washington, D.C. — American Forests, the oldest national forest conservation nonprofit organization in the United States, has joined the 40+ organizations that comprise the Smart Surfaces Coalition.
The organization is focused on solving two critical issues. One is climate change. Forests are the best nature-based solution to climate change. Urban forests account for almost 20 percent of the sequestration in U.S. forests, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The other issue is social inequity. In almost every U.S. city, a map of tree cover is also a map of income and race. Often, there are far fewer trees in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods and neighborhoods of color. American Forests is committed to creating Tree Equity which, simply put, is about ensuring every urban neighborhood has enough trees for every person to benefit from all that trees offer to the world — trees help to filter our air and water, reduce energy bills and provide jobs.
“The power of trees to enrich our cities and address priority issues of climate change, economic growth and social equity is tremendous,” said American Forests Vice President of External Affairs Leslie Jones. “With robust partnerships — particularly our new one with the Smart Surfaces Coalition — we are confident that trees will help our cities thrive.”
American Forests’ expertise and interdisciplinary focus align well with Smart Surfaces’ mission to deliver urban resilience, combat climate change and improve city livability, health and equity.
According to American Forests, there are more than 141 million acres of forests in cities and towns that have a population of at least 50,000. Urban trees are a large part of the Coalition’s mission to implement smart surfaces in cities. American Forests and other Coalition members share a conviction that city trees help create jobs, improve health, save money, clean air and more.
We believe strongly in American Forests’ mission to “create healthy and resilient forests, from cities to wilderness, that deliver essential benefits for climate, people, water and wildlife.” We are excited to begin partnering with American Forests and draw upon their expertise to work towards rapid, cost-effective deployment of urban trees and other smart surfaces in our metropolitan areas — part of a Smart Surfaces solution.
