Austin loves its trees. Sprawling live oaks, tough cedar elms, blooming redbuds and, yes, even the pollen-hostile ashe junipers offer shade, filter air, house wildlife and fight climate change.
As development continues to sweep across Austin, taking parts of nature with it, the city has been taking action to protect trees and plant new ones. Right now, tree canopy coverage sits at 41%, up from five percentage points from 2018. The city’s climate equity plan calls for 50 percent by 2050.
“Austin defines itself by its beauty and what it does for the future,” said Mayor Kirk Watson. “There’s nothing more beautiful than a tree and there’s nothing that says more about your future than planting a tree.”
Here’s what to know about Austin’s tree-planting efforts.
What is tree canopy and why do we need it?
Tree canopy is the layer of leaves and branches that covers the ground as seen from above. It is, essentially, the roof of a tree, casting shade, protecting grass and helping the soil absorb stormwater.
It would be hard to overstate the importance of trees in urban communities. They fight climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide; provide cooling shade that staves off urban heat islands produced by concrete, asphalt and a lack of vegetation; improve mental and physical health; and raise property values.
How much canopy do we have and where is it?
Austin’s urban forest includes more than 12 million trees with a trunk diameter of 5 inches or greater. While the city has far more trees than that, these make up a substantial portion of the canopy.
But those trees are not evenly dispersed. A 2022 City of Austin canopy map shows the environmental consequences of the natural landscape and historical racial disparities. In Westlake, where the median income was listed as $238,000, 69% of the land was covered by canopy. In the northeast neighborhoods of St. John’s and Coronado Hills, where the median income was $41,000, just 21% was covered.
What kind of trees are we talking about?
Ashe junipers – the culprit behind Austin’s cedar fever – are the single largest species of trees in the city at 30.2%, according to 2024 city data. Here’s the rest of the breakdown:
What is the City of Austin doing to expand the canopy?
For decades, while running its own canopy programs, the city has been collaborating with community members and nonprofits. In 2006, it created the Austin Community Trees program to focus on low-canopy areas, bringing shade to underserved neighborhoods. From 2006-2018, it distributed 6,300 new trees to 23 neighborhoods. That program has been phased out as the city began collaborating with groups like TreeFolks, a nonprofit that has planted more than 3 million trees since the late 1980s.
In 2021, the city partnered with TreeFolks to plant more than 16,000 trees and herbaceous seed mix on 5 acres in Southeast Austin’s Onion Creek watershed, once occupied by hundreds of people. Residents were forced out in 2013 after a Halloween flood damaged 735 homes.
In 2023, the city once again partnered with TreeFolks to plant trees on 13 acres at Agave Neighborhood Park, located in East Austin.
Last month, the Austin Parks and Recreation Department updated the city on how it is using about $1 million to plant trees throughout the city, mostly on the city’s East side. The update noted that 513 new trees were planted across six sites including Evergreen Cemetery and Montopolis Neighborhood Park, both of which are in East Austin.
What’s next?
The city has a Community Tree Priority Map to help it prioritize its tree canopy goals. The current budget Urban Forest Replenishment Fund is nearly $6.9 million.
The map measures data including tree canopy, temperature and air pollution. The city and community partners use the map to aim tree planting projects and grant funding toward the neediest areas.
