Tree Tenders Awarded Grant to Plant, Maintain

by Liz Hersh, for the Shuttle

March 5, 2026

Mt Airy Tree Tenders connects people with trees. Recently, our work to nurture, restore and grow our tree canopy got a boost. Two of our local nonprofit partners, West Mt Airy Neighbors and Friends of Carpenter’s Woods, successfully sponsored our submission for a “Tree Forward” grant by Philadelphia Health Management Corporation to “Cool Down Northwest Philly.” 

This project is part of our ongoing effort to break out of our silos and build a true Northwest collaboration around trees in all stages of their life cycle. It brings together tree tender groups from Germantown, West Oak Lane, Awbury and Nicetown-Tioga, along with larger Philadelphia-wide organizations like the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, TreePhilly and Pennsylvania Interfaith Power & Light. 

Mt Airy Tree Tenders, which covers the areas east and west of Germantown Avenue, began a renewed effort to plant more trees on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic. While walking around our community, we felt the temperature difference between shaded streets and blocks with no trees. 

According to the Philly Tree Plan, there is a 22-degree difference between the hottest and coolest areas of the city, and this is related to inequity in our tree canopy. Trees play a crucial role in naturally cooling city spaces through shade and releasing water absorbed through their roots into the air. They are nature’s air conditioners. 

We started going door to door talking with neighbors about planting free street trees, doing direct outreach to homeowners. Between 2021 and 2023 we planted 138 new trees, many on streets that had limited or no tree cover. Canvassing and information sharing became a core part of Cool Down Northwest Philly. Making trees available for free also helps!

In listening to homeowners talk about why they didn’t want to plant trees in their yards or along their front walks, we heard important concerns about trees damaging pipes, causing a mess and costing a lot to maintain or remove.

This is where equity comes into play. The responsibility for planting, caring for and maintaining trees falls on the property owner, and caring for an urban tree takes time and effort and costs money. While the Tree Forward grants are among the important steps the city is taking to reverse canopy decline, there are still real concerns to address.

The Right Tree

In the Right Place

Trees are known to damage pipes and uproot sidewalks, but we now know how to prevent this problem. The key is to plant the right tree in the right place, allow plenty of space for roots and prune early to nurture healthy growth. A larger pit and early pruning reduce braiding and help the roots get air and water, making them less apt to grow down into pipes. 

The right tree can make a difference when it comes to sidewalk damage, because not all tree roots grow the same. While we need more big shade trees like the mighty oak, for some people and places, a smaller tree like a dogwood or redbud is a better choice.

For many of us, the benefits of trees outweigh the costs: healthier people, cooler streets, safer neighborhoods, homes for birds, fruit (like pawpaws), wonderful cooling shade, higher property values and lower utility prices. However, everyone has different tolerances and preferences.

For example, trees drop their leaves, and for those of us who love trees and value their contribution, raking is a small price to pay. Leaves make great compost and habitat. (I got itty bitty salamanders the first year I left the leaves in the garden.) As children, who didn’t love to jump into a big pile of leaves? As volunteers, we work together to help those neighbors who want the benefits of trees but can’t manage the maintenance. 

While tree maintenance can be costly, careful pruning in the first few years of a tree’s life strengthens it and contributes to less maintenance later on. PHS, which organizes and supports Tree Tenders, has completed an inventory of recently planted trees to support our systematic pruning. They have prioritized maintaining trees as a critical part of sustaining and caring for the canopy. Planting alone is not enough.

At the same time, we are advocating for the city to invest more in tree care. For now, we are amping up our early pruning as an important and doable down payment on healthy long-term growth.

Mt Airy Tree Tenders, WMAN and Carpenter’s Woods are proud to be part of a larger, organized citywide strategy to make Philly’s Tree Plan a reality by creating a culture of valuing and investing in trees.

Trees are calming. They reduce heart rates and improve concentration and focus. Deeply Rooted, a community-academic initiative, ran a study and found that vacant lot greening can reduce gun violence by 29% in neighborhoods struggling with poverty. 

Thank Trees

For Cleaner Air

Trees play a crucial role in absorbing and filtering out air pollutants; they are natural air purifiers. Rates of childhood asthma in Philadelphia are three times higher than the national average, according to an Inquirer article published in June 2023. Neighborhoods in the city that have fewer trees have higher rates of asthma and other lung diseases.

Trees provide nesting spots, protection, migration stops and food for birds. It has been found that cities need at least 30% canopy coverage to support healthy and diverse populations of birds. According to the Arbor Day Foundation, large trees along streets can increase property values by up to 15%

Trees are also linked to reducing crime. Several studies found that trees and other vegetation are inversely associated with crime, so adding them would be a relatively low-cost way to lower the crime rate in certain areas.

Moreover, trees help conserve energy and reduce utility bills. The U.S. Forest Service found that urban trees and forests alter building energy use and associated emissions from power plants by shading buildings, cooling air temperatures and altering wind speeds around buildings.

To learn more and get involved, go to mtairytreetenders.org — or plant more trees and encourage friends and family to do the same!