Between 2010 and 2015, Allegheny County lost 10,148 acres of tree canopy, close to 16 square miles of shade and wildlife habitat gone in five years. The losses have not stopped. The county still sheds about 2% of its remaining canopy every five years.
Three forces drive the decline. Emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle, has killed ash trees across the region. Oak wilt, a fungal disease, attacks another important group of native trees. Development removes still more as land is cleared for construction.
Putting Trees Back Where They Were Lost
Colcom Foundation answered with grants that funded a giveaway of 4,000 trees during 2019 and 2020. The trees went to the communities hit hardest by canopy losses, placing new growth where the gaps were largest.
The giveaway built on a longer investment. Colcom Foundation has supported Tree Pittsburgh since 2007 and has provided annual general operating support since 2012. That steady funding keeps the Heritage Nursery running, producing thousands of native trees and shrubs each year for planting throughout the county.
A Coalition With a Clear Target
Stable support also gave Tree Pittsburgh the capacity to lead the creation of the Pittsburgh Canopy Alliance in 2020. Twenty environmental organizations belong to the coalition, among them Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, and Allegheny Land Trust. Their shared goal is no net loss in tree coverage across Allegheny County.
That goal sounds modest but demands constant effort. Holding steady means planting and maintaining enough trees to offset ongoing losses from pests, disease, and construction.
Federal money has strengthened the effort. The Alliance secured an $8 million U.S. Forest Service grant funded through the Inflation Reduction Act, and the City of Pittsburgh received another $1 million. Spending must happen within five years and focus on high-pollution, economically distressed neighborhoods, covering planting, maintenance, education, and workforce development.
Urban canopy work fits within the Colcom Foundation’s wider regional mission, which also covers watershed remediation and streambank restoration. City trees cool streets, absorb rainfall, and give birds and insects places to live, making them part of the same habitat picture as rural forests and rivers. Refer to this article to learn more.
Find more information about Colcom Foundation on https://fconline.foundationcenter.org/fdo-grantmaker-profile?key=COLC002