Meet leading arborist Robert Booty for a free tree walk in the Palo Verde neighborhood, near mid-town Palo Alto.  

Date: Sat., May 14 

Time: 10AM - Noon

Location: Palo Verde Elementary School, 3450 Louis Road, Palo Alto 94301(Map) Click to sign up.   

Treat you and your family to some fresh air, a healthy walk and chance to learn neat facts about local trees.    

On May 7, 2011, Canopy brought together 250 corporate and community volunteers to plant 200 trees at Green Oaks Academy and Cesar Chavez Academy in East Palo Alto. Click here to see photos from the planting. 

Canopy Executive Director Catherine Martineau reports that the "trees will furnish both direct and indirect benefits to the community's health. Direct benefits include cleaner air and water, protection from harmful UV rays and the positive psychological effects associated with the proximity of natural environments. Indirect benefits include a more active lifestyle linked to increased outdoor activity which helps prevent childhood obesity and childhood diabetes."     

Because of Canopy's efforts, 815 elementary and middle school students at Green Oaks Academy and Cesar Chavez Academy will benefit from the shade and air pollution reduction provided by the trees. The 11 species planted, Forest Green Oak, Cork Oak, Valley Oak, Coast Live Oak, Southern Live Oak, Strawberry Tree, Bosque Elm, London Plane, Silver Leaf Linden, Marina Madrone, and Catalina Cherry, are all drought-tolerant and well suited for this region's climate.   

In addition to a CalFire Urban and Community Forestry
program grant, eight corporations and community groups supported Canopy with the planting: Microsoft, National Semiconductor, NVIDIA, SanDisk, Yahoo!, Robert Half International, Palo Alto Rotary, and REI.   Volunteers participated in the event to help launch Canopy's Healthy Trees, Healthy Kids! initiative.

Here is an image of the front of Green Oaks Academy:  

Here is the school once our new trees have grown:

The goal of the Healthy Trees, Healthy Kids! initiative is to plant 1,000 young trees by 2015 to improve school campuses in Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, and Belle Haven. To enable us to reach our goal, more than $100,000 will be needed every year for the next four years.  Please support our program by making a donation.    

On May 1, 2011, Canopy welcomed our most loyal and generous supporters to our 15th Anniversary Dinner at the new Palo Alto Elks Lodge. Our thanks to Senator Joe Simitian, Mayor Sid Espinosa, Nancy Cassidy with Girls to Women, and Richard Louv, who engaged a full room with thoughtful and provoking ideas, beautiful music, warmth and humor.  Thanks also to Senator Joe Simitian, Supervisor Liz Kniss and Congresswoman Anna Eshoo for honoring Canopy with Resolutions and Dedications, now proudly displayed in our office. 

The event was also a very successful fundraiser!  Planting and protecting local trees would simply not be possible without the support of our donors. Thank you for a fantastic evening! Click here to see photos.

Canopy supporters did their part through Earth-week this year.  An astounding 900 Vanilla Cupcakes were purchased, triggering a donation of $3,150 to Canopy!  All of these funds will go to support our local tree planting efforts!  

Thank you, Sprinkles Cupcakes! 

Vegetation Maintenance    

By early June, Palo Alto's Department of Public Works will start eliminating invasive poison oak from the hedge row and tree line along the train tracks on Alma Street from Palo Alto Avenue to San Antonio Road. You will see street crews mow and trim the hedge row, mark, and flag poison oak locations for removal.