Connecting Canopies Coalition
Trees bring immense social, environmental, and health benefits to communities. However, these benefits are largely enjoyed by communities with wealth. BIPOC and low-income neighborhoods are observed with less tree canopy coverage due to systemic barriers from how cities manage their urban forest.
Connecting Canopies is the first BIPOC and community-led coalition in the Portland metro region that works to address the inequitable distribution of trees through convening partners, policy change, workforce development, and community engagement.
The Connecting Canopies Coalition includes:
- The Blueprint Foundation
- Intertwine Alliance
- Portland State University—Sustaining Urban Places Research Lab
- The Nature Conservancy of Oregon
Convener of Partners
Since the launch of the coalition in 2020, Connecting Canopies has convened more than 20 partners from the region, representing the public, private, and nonprofit sector, to discuss strategies for increasing tree planting and preservation in BIPOC and low-income neighborhoods.
The coalition also hosted several community engagement events, including:
- Two regional virtual symposiums
- One Black affinity community gathering
- One Spanish speaking focus group
- Two tree walks) to increase community awareness on trees (partnering with Urban Forestry).
Workforce Development Internship
Connecting Canopies' most successful initiative is the workforce development internship program. The program trains 12–15 BIPOC young adults each year for 10 months.
The program's trainers consist of several partner organizations with aligned mission and goals. They teach the interns on various green sector job skills including:
- Urban forestry (arboriculture)
- Habitat restoration
- Food production (fruit trees and agriculture)
- Urban landscaping.
These job training creates pathways for BIPOC young adults who may not have completed a 4-year college degree to set foot in a predominantly white job sector. By diversifying the environmental sector, this knowledge is then brought back to their respective communities to help raise awareness about trees and nature.
Participants to Date
Connecting Canopies trained 12 individuals in their first 10-month program (2022–2023). Most of the participants have advanced into further career steps (internships, fellowships, and jobs) in the environmental field. Three of them have secured full time jobs with our training partners including two with Portland Parks & Recreation and one with Portland Fruit Tree Project.