Casa View Park, photo courtesy of Dallas Parks website.
Community volunteers gathered on Saturday, March 2, in Casa View Park to welcome 50 newly planted trees brought by volunteers, the City of Dallas Park and Recreation staff and the Texas Trees Foundation. The added trees are part of a program called Branching Out, which aims to cover area parks with more tree canopy.
Last year marked the 6th anniversary of the Branching Out program, a partnership between Dallas Park and Recreation and the Texas Trees Foundation.
“Increasing tree canopy in Dallas is critical to combatting our urban heat islands, not to mention beautifying our parks around the city. We are glad to continue the long-running partnership with Texas Trees Foundation and look forward to greening and beautifying more parks in the future,” said Chris McMaster, City of Dallas Park and Recreation’s Manager of Parks and Forestry.
Casa View Park was established in 1950 and is 6.5 acres in size. The weekend tree planting added nine species to the park – Bur oak, Cedar elm, Chinquapin oak, Eve’s necklace, live oak, Monterrey oak, Pecan, Texas mountain laurel, and Texas red oak. Most of the trees were planted adjacent to the park’s newly installed walking trail.
“The work we’re able to accomplish with our partners is very valuable. The new trees not only provide benefits for parkgoers, but they also help increase tree canopy coverage and mitigate urban heat,” said Janette Monear CEO of Texas Trees Foundation. “With the support of our partners, our communities will be cleaner, greener, cooler, and healthier for generations to come.”
The Branching Out program began in 2018 to reforest and beautify Dallas’ aging urban canopy. For each planting, Dallas Park and Recreation, Texas Trees Foundation, organizational donors, and community volunteers work collaboratively to strategically plant trees to increase the current Dallas tree canopy coverage while providing shade and additional health and environmental benefits.
