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Join Canopy the 2nd Saturday of each month for a special twist on the beloved Palo Alto Neighborhood Tree Walks. To celebrate our 20th anniversary, each monthly walk will feature special guests, fresh perspectives, and (of course!) incredible local trees.
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 February: Tree Love
Saturday, February 13th, 10am - 12pm
Meet at Johnson Park (corner of Hawthorne Avenue and Kipling Street in Palo Alto)
Join expert arborist Ellyn Shea to explore "Tree Love" in honor of Saint Valentine's Day! Learn about the biology of a tree's "romantic" life and meet some lovely trees from Palo Alto's Downtown North neighborhood: Incense Cedar, Norway Maple, Liquidambar, Hollywood Juniper, and many more! Sign up online or email [email protected] with questions.
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 March: Arbor Week Tree-sure Hunt
Saturday, March 12th, 10am - 12pm
Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo
1451 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto
Join Canopy to celebrate California Arbor Week! All ages are welcome on our Tree-sure Hunt adventure. Led by expert arborist Courtney Schumm, we'll explore the wonderful trees around the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo -- and hunt for clues that will lead us to a secret treasure! Lots of fascinating tree info for kids and adults alike. Sign up online or email [email protected] with questions.
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 Tree Care Service Day at Ronald McNair and Brentwood Academies
Saturday, February 20th, 9am - 12pm
2033 Pulgas Ave, East Palo Alto
Join Canopy to care for young school trees and help create healthier communities! This service day at the Brentwood and Ronald McNair school campuses will include weeding, mulching, and pruning young trees to help them thrive. To volunteer, sign up online or email [email protected].
P.S. To become a trained pruning volunteer, sign up for our young tree pruning class on April 16th. More details coming soon!
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 Cubberley Community Day Tree Planting (and more!)
Saturday, March 19th, 9am - 12pm
4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto
Join Canopy, the Kiwanis Club of Palo Alto, and other partners for a day of fun and service at Cubberley Community Center! Plant and care for trees with Canopy, enjoy tasty treats from area food trucks, and check out performances and activity booths from local groups. To help with the Canopy tree planting, sign up online or email [email protected].
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 Canopy Presents: Songs for the Earth
Saturday, April 23rd, 5:30pm
Celebrate Earth Day with music for the trees! Canopy is proud to present local jazz ensemble San Andreas Singers for an evening of music and fun. All ticket proceeds will support Canopy's tree planting and tree care programs, and help us bring the life-giving benefits of trees to local communities. More details coming soon.
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Palo Alto's controversial landscape ordinance on hold
 In January, Palo Alto city staff responded quickly to a new state mandate that requires cities to adopt the state's Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (WELO) or craft a landscape ordinance of their own. Accordingly, a new city ordinance was brought to Palo Alto City Council for adoption in January.
The proposed ordinance sparked concern from Canopy and other local environmental groups because of the unclear implications for urban trees and ecosystems.
At the council meeting Canopy spoke out in support of trees, urging the city to do more community outreach and consult with the city's arborists and landscape experts. The council agreed and directed staff to reach out to stakeholders (including Canopy, Acterra, and the Audubon Society) and consider the City's Urban Forest Master Plan and Parks Master Plan in their next draft. For now, the state's model ordinance is in place as the city awaits a revised ordinance from staff.
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Kicking off Canopy's 20th Year
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In January, we kicked off our 20th year growing healthy trees and healthy communities by celebrating with more than 150 friends at our annual party.
Together, we planted ceremonial trees for Palo Alto's new Mayor, Pat Burt, and for Santa Clara Supervisor Joe Simitian. We also recognized our 2016 Canopy Tree Award winners. Thanks again to everyone who joined us!
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Looking ahead
As we reflected on our last 20 years, we also shared our vision for the next few years.
Locally, a fourth year of drought took a toll on urban trees and ecosystems, but we also celebrated the adoption by the Palo Alto City Council of our region's first Urban Forest Master Plan. Collaboration is key for the future
All of this points to the critical importance of collaborating across disciplines and geographic boundaries to fight climate change and steward our shared natural resources. For Canopy, this means examining our work through the lens of urban sustainability and in the broader context of the whole urban ecosystem.
In the next few years, we commit to do just that. We plan to...
- Continue planting drought-tolerant trees where they're needed most. We're starting with a new 5-year initiative to plant 1,000 new trees at schools, in parks, and along streets -- not only in Palo Alto and East Palo Alto, but also in Redwood City, Menlo Park, and Mountain View. We'll grow our environmental education programs to serve these communities, too.
- Work collaboratively to implement Palo Alto's Urban Forest Master Plan. In partnership with the City of Palo Alto, Audubon Society, Acterra Stewardship, the California Native Plant Society, and other local voices, we'll work to ensure that the Urban Forest Master Plan supports the health and resilience of the entire urban ecosystem. We'll incorporate more native and climate-adapted trees, restoring native oaks in particular, to create healthier habitat for people as well as wildlife.
- Consider the whole ecosystem in more of our plantings, as we partner with other experts to design and implement plantings that include both trees and complementary, drought-tolerant landscape plants.
- Bridge the canopy disparity between north and south Palo Alto. We're currently working with the City to understand the causes of the north-south canopy cover disparity, and to find solutions. The City cannot close the canopy gap on its own; there are simply not enough planting sites in the public right of way. We're working on a plan to engage residents, schools, and businesses in planting more drought-tolerant, native, and climate-adapted trees on both public and private property in south Palo Alto.
The continued health of our urban trees, our environment, and our planet depends on the commitment of all of us working together.Thanks to all of you for being part of the solution! 
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Highlights from the Field
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Martin Luther King Jr. Tree Planting in East Palo Alto
Over 160 volunteers and community members came out to to MLK Jr. Park in East Palo Alto on Jan. 18th to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. with a day of service. Together, we planted 7 new trees and nearly 100 landscape plants, and recognized East Palo Alto Mayor Donna Rutherford with a special ceremonial tree. The event was sponsored by The National Football League Environmental Program, in honor of Superbowl 50. See photos.
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Crittenden Middle School Tree Planting in Mountain View
We were excited to work with new partners in Mountain View to plant 9 new trees at Crittenden Middle School and care for 15 trees last Saturday (including some intense root flare excavation!). Special thanks to Principal Chang for helping to coordinate the planting, to Crittenden students and families for coming out to volunteer, and to our friends at Mountain View Trees for partnering with us. See photos.
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January Tree Gifts and Dedications
January 1st - 31st, 2016
Leland Levy and Judy Huey, in honor of Tony Carrasco
Special thanks to recent Foundation Grantors:
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Our deepest gratitude to the individuals, families, companies, groups, foundations, and friends who help us grow healthy trees and healthy communities.
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Canopy plants and cares for trees where people need them the most. We bring the life-giving benefits of trees to the schools, neighborhoods, and public spaces of the San Francisco Mid-Peninsula.
Canopy is proud to be affiliated with:
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