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Caltech Trees

Green badge with images of cityscape, green trees, and the words Caltech Tree Corps. Underneath are two crossed shovels and the words est 2022
Caltech Campus Map with a green circle for every tree on campus
Campus Tree Map; click link for a closer look!
black sillhouette against yellow background of tree with hawk sitting on limb and person attached to tree with safety ropes
Tree Care for Birds & Other Wildlife
graph showing how many of different kinds of trees are found on the Caltech campus
Summary of Caltech's tree species

What is Urban Forest Equity?

In many cities, a map of the urban tree canopy can also function as a map of race and wealth. Low-income neighborhoods of color consistently have less tree canopy than affluent neighborhoods and as a result are hotter. Systemic racism pervades many American institutions and the unbalanced distribution of urban forests is a visible reminder that inequities of the past and present are also ingrained in our built environment.

map showing where trees are in the area near Caltech
map showing where trees are in the area near Caltech
map showing where trees are in the area near Caltech
map showing where trees are in the area near Caltech

The benefits of a healthy urban forest should be available to all residents. Far too often the neighborhoods that could most use greenspace and urban trees have the least.

two images side by side. The one on the left is a community with a lot of visible houses and other buildings. The one on the right is a community with many trees covering the tops of most of the buildings so they are not visible.
The structure, composition, and maintenance of the urban forest is influenced far more by individuals than Public Agencies
Los Angeles: Plant a tree, Grow a community