1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Phoenix (FUA)
Region
Northern America
Short description of the intervention
As heat waves and high temperatures intensify due to climate change and urbanization, the City of Phoenix is exploring how to reintroduce tree shade into urban spaces to create a more equitable, livable environment. In 2014, the city set a goal to shade at least 25% of Phoenix by 2030, known as the Tree and Shade Master Plan. Achieving this ambitious target requires substantial resources and active community participation.
A key player in this initiative is Trees Matter, an environmental nonprofit dedicated to helping Phoenix reach its shade goals. Trees Matter not only works to expand and sustain the city’s tree canopy but also aims to foster environmental equity. Among its initiatives, the Trees for Schools program promotes tree planting in schools while educating staff and students about the significance of trees and tree care.
Silvestre Herrera Elementary School is one example where the Trees for Schools program has made a direct impact. As part of this program, 30 trees were planted on the school grounds, involving students, staff, and community volunteers in the process. These new trees offer critical environmental benefits, including shade, air purification, dust reduction, food production, and carbon sequestration. Additionally, tree presence has been linked to improved physical and mental health outcomes.
Beyond the immediate environmental gains, the project also offers educational value by involving students, staff, and maintenance crews in hands-on learning about tree care and environmental stewardship. This approach ensures that participants are equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to care for the trees long term, reinforcing both sustainability and community resilience.
Through these combined efforts, Phoenix is making strides toward a greener, more shaded future—one that benefits not only the environment but also the well-being and health of its residents. (1-5)
Website of the intervention
https://www.azfamily.com/2022/12/13/aps-elementary-school-trees-matter-plant-tr…
Principal problems
Climate-Related Hazards
Heat stress & Extreme temperatures
Environmental Degradation
Air pollution
Land use and Socio-economic change
Unequal availability and access to public green spaces
Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
Physical health harm (from pollution, wildfire, extreme temperature)
Mental health issues (stress, anxiety)
Implementation area characterization
Climate
Arid (Desert, Steppe)
Ecosystem
Urban or built environment
Address

1350 S 11th St
Phoenix , 85034
United States

Location
The NBS is situated in an area, with clear delineation of boundaries and a specific shape (polygon). The NBS project can also have more than one area location (more than one polygon, situated close by).
Area boundary (map-based)
NBS area image
Source of NBS area image
Source: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Silvestre+Herrera+Elementary/@33.4344745,-112.0604937,381m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x872b11e54fbdbe49:0xb55786fe7f3ad229!8m2!3d33.4349117!4d-112.0591877!16s%2Fm%2F076ggn1?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTExMC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D
Area description
Urban (main city)
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Other
Please specify “other type of area” before implementation of the NBS
School ground
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
unknown
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
2022
End date of the intervention
2022
Present stage of the intervention
Completed
Objectives of the intervention
Goals of the intervention
The goals of the Silvestre Herrera Elementary School Tree Planting Project were to:
To plant trees on school grounds to increase tree cover, support carbon sequestration, and improve air quality.
To engage students, staff, and maintenance crews as integral participants in the planting process to foster hands-on involvement and enhance physical health.
To educate students and staff on the importance of trees, tree care, and the broader environmental benefits.
To support the city’s efforts to combat heat waves and high temperatures, addressing the impacts of urban heat on health, safety, comfort, and economic development as conditions are expected to intensify. (1, 2, 5-7)
Key Priorities
Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation)
Social Justice and community
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
Climate change adaptation
Climate change mitigation
Environmental quality
Air quality improvement
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Green space creation and/or management
Health and well-being (SDG 3)
Improving physical health
Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
Environmental education
Environmental and climate justice
Sense of community and community engagement
Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
Economic development: service sectors
Climate change adaptation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?
Increase urban vegetation cover to reduce urban heat island effect
Climate change mitigation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?
Increase the availability of green urban space for carbon storage (street tree cover)
Implementation activities and NBS focus
Implementation activities
To realize the goals various activities were implemented including:

The Trees for Schools program was founded to provide schools with funding opportunities for tree planting projects. Using the Tree Prioritization Map from Maricopa County Public Health's Office of Epidemiology and Data Services, Silvestre Herrera Elementary School was identified as a prime candidate for the program. A partnership was then established between Trees Matter, Arizona Public Service, and the school to bring the project to life.
As a result, 30 desert-adapted shade trees were planted on the school grounds, enhancing carbon sequestration, improving air quality, and providing much-needed shade. The project also emphasized environmental education by involving students, staff, and maintenance crews in the planting process and equipping them with knowledge on long-term tree care. This hands-on involvement fosters a lasting commitment to environmental stewardship. (1-2)
Type of NBS project
Creation of new green areas
Creation of any other green urban spaces
Knowledge creation and awareness raising
Educational and awareness raising programs
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Grey infrastructure featuring greens
Green playgrounds and school grounds
Amenities offered by the NBS
Unknown
Design elements for well-being
None of the above
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Regulating services
Local climate regulation (temperature reduction)
Air quality regulation
Carbon storage/sequestration
Cultural services
Mental and physical health and wellbeing
Intellectual interactions (scientific and / or educational)
Scale
Spatial scale
Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)
Beneficiaries
Demographics in implementation area
Silvestre Herrera Elementary School is a low-income school located in an area with little access to shade cover (2). The average age of individuals in the nearby area is between 25 - 34 years old (8). Over 75 percent of the population identifies within a minority group, primarily hispanic and black (8). 56 percent of the regiestered households in the area are listed as non-family households with an average median income ranging between Less than $10,000 [9013.52 Euro] (8).
Socio-economic profile of the area
Low-income
Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts
Yes
Specification of climate or environmentally vulnerable communities
Low-income neighborhoods
Minority or marginalized ethnic groups
Non-government actors
Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)
Non-governmental organisation (NGO) / Civil society / Churches
Private sector/Corporate/Business
Primary Beneficiaries
Citizens or community groups
Young people and children
Specify primary beneficiaries
-Young people and children: The trees were planted at an elementary school (1-2). Students also learned the environmental benefits of trees during the project (1-2).
-Citizens or community groups: The program involves students, staff, and maintenance crews as an integral part of not only the planting itself, but also the education that informs them on how to care for their new trees in the long term (2).
Marginalized groups
Children, young people or youth groups
Socio-economically disadvantaged populations (e.g. low-income households, unemployed)
Measures for inclusion of marginalised groups
-Children, young people or youth groups: Trees for Schools, aims to get more tree infrastructure into schools alongside teaching staff and students on the importance of trees and tree care (2).

-Socio-economically disadvantaged populations (e.g. low-income households, unemployed): The school was selected because the program prioritizes low-income schools in high priority areas (2).
Other beneficiaries
Local wildlife (e.g., birds, pollinators)
Native plant vegetation
Ecosystem services (e.g. improved air quality, water purification)
Public health (e.g. increased physical activity opportunities, reduced stress)
Governance
Governance arrangements
Led by non-government actors
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
Non-governmental organisation (NGO):
-Tree's Matter is the founder of the Tree's for Schools program, they partnered with the elementary school to plant 30 trees and provide an educational opportunity for those involved (1-2).
Private sector/Corporate/Business:
-Arizona Public Service is an energy utility company that provided the funding for the planting project through their own "Community Tree Program" (1-2, 6).
Public sector institution:
-Silvestre Herrera Elementary School applied to the Tree's for Schools program and partnered with Trees Matter to bring 30 new trees to the schoolgrounds (1). Volunteers involved in the planting were students and staff from the school (1).
Key actors - initiating organization
Public sector institution
Non-government organisation/civil society
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
Private sector/corporate actor/company
Participatory methods/forms of stakeholder involvement (all stakeholders)
Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
Dissemination of information and education
Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Uncommon actors ("Missing actors")
Public Services
Schools
Infrastructure & Management
Utility companies: water, sewage, etc.
Land owners
Public space owned by the city
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to a Regional Directive/Strategy
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan
Yes
Please specify the "local regulation/strategy/plan"
The intervention was inspired by the City of Phoenix Tree and Shade Masterplan (5).
Relevant strategy or plan
City specific climate change policy or plan
City specific green space strategy or plan
Municipal / city level environmental plan or programme
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Voluntary (spontaneous)
Enablers & Barriers
Type of enablers
Unknown
Governace and decison-making instruments
Strategic instruments (e.g. GI strategies, green space strategy or plans)
Educational and knowledge sharing instruments (e.g. science/ living labs, awareness raising campaigns, specific educational programs, green hubs)
Arrangements for governance cooperation
Unknown
Barriers
Trees Matter works with the recipients to select tree varieties, advocating for native species but understanding that sometimes the spiky, scraggly, desert-adapted plants aren't the best fit for school yards where children are playing (3). These specifications, combined with the fact that the group doesn't currently have a way to offer recipients help paying for irrigation installation or increased water bills, can limit where and how fast the group can make a difference (3).
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Please specify total cost (EUR)
The project was funded by a grant through Arizona Public Service but no total cost was disclosed (1, 6).
What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?
Unknown.
Source(s) of funding
Corporate investment
Type of fund(s) used
Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Yes
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Type of non-financial contribution
Provision of land
Provision of labour
Provision of expertise
Co-finance for NBS
No
Entrepreneurship opportunities
No
Business models
Business models
Risk reduction model
Green education model
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Private non-for-profit actor (e.g. NGO, foundation)
Impacts, benefits
Environmental impacts
Climate change
Lowered local temperature
Expected lowered local temperature
Enhanced carbon sequestration
Expected enhanced carbon sequestration
Environmental quality
Improved air quality
Expected improved air quality
Green space and habitat
Increased green space area
Achieved increased green space area
Description of environmental benefits
Lowered local temperature: "Shaded surfaces, for example, may be 20–45 degrees cooler than the peak temperatures of unshaded materials." (6).
Enhanced carbon sequestration: "Trees offer many critical functions such as shade, pollution reduction, dust reduction, food, increased property value, carbon sequestration, increase in mental and physical health, and more." (2)
Improved air quality: "Trees offer many critical functions such as shade, pollution reduction, dust reduction, food, increased property value, carbon sequestration, increase in mental and physical health, and more." (2)
Achieved increased green space area: " Silvestre Herrera Elementary School and local community group Trees Matter joined with APS to plant around 30 trees on the Phoenix elementary school’s grounds." (1)
Economic impacts
Generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation)
Achieved generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation)
Description of economic benefits
1. Generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation): "APS funded the purchase of the 30 trees and brought volunteers to help out the students." (1)
Social and cultural impacts
Social justice and cohesion
Improved access to urban green space
Achieved improved access to urban green space
Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
Achieved increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
Health and wellbeing
Improved physical health
Expected improved physical health
Education
Increased support for education and scientific research
Achieved increased support for education and scientific research
Social and cultural impact indicators
Number of environmental education programs, workshops, outreach activities (eg. in schools, community centers, public spaces)
1 (2)
Description of social and cultural benefits
1. Improved access to urban green space: "Silvestre Herrera Elementary School and local community group Trees Matter joined with APS to plant around 30 trees on the Phoenix elementary school’s grounds." (1)
2. Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces: "We are determined to educate schools on this by having the students, staff, and maintenance crews be an integral part of not only the planting itself, but also the education that informs them on how to care for their new trees in the long term." (2)
3. Improved physical health: "Trees offer many critical functions such as shade, pollution reduction, dust reduction, food, increased property value, carbon sequestration, increase in mental and physical health, and more." (4)
4. Increased support for education and scientific research: "We are determined to educate schools on this by having the students, staff, and maintenance crews be an integral part of not only the planting itself, but also the education that informs them on how to care for their new trees in the long term." (2)
Evidence for use of assessment
Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Name of any specific impact assessment tools
unknown.
Use of GIS in mapping impacts
No evidence in public records
Cost-benefit analysis
Unknown
Transparency
Public disclosure of project funding sources and/or budgets
Justice
Community satisfaction
Unknown
Description of locals satisfaction with the project
Unknown.
Trade-offs & Negative impacts
Unknown
Emphasis of existing social inequalities or injustices
No information reported related to negative social justice-related impacts of the NBS project
Measures to prevent gentrification or displacement
Unknown
High-quality & Transformative NBS
Multiple impacts delivery (climate, biodiversity, just community)
Yes
Goal setting and impacts delivery
No, although benefits were delivered in all the 3 key areas, but in the planning phase, the project did not aim to address issues in all the 3 key priority areas.
Reaching original project goals
Most of the project goals were achieved
Please specify the achievements of the project goals
Climate action:
Lowered local temperature: "Shaded surfaces, for example, may be 20–45 degrees cooler than the peak temperatures of unshaded materials." (6).
Enhanced carbon sequestration: "Trees offer many critical functions such as shade, pollution reduction, dust reduction, food, increased property value, carbon sequestration, increase in mental and physical health, and more." (2)
Improved air quality: "Trees offer many critical functions such as shade, pollution reduction, dust reduction, food, increased property value, carbon sequestration, increase in mental and physical health, and more." (2)
Achieved increased green space area: " Silvestre Herrera Elementary School and local community group Trees Matter joined with APS to plant around 30 trees on the Phoenix elementary school’s grounds." (1)
Social justice and community:
1. Improved access to urban green space: "Silvestre Herrera Elementary School and local community group Trees Matter joined with APS to plant around 30 trees on the Phoenix elementary school’s grounds." (1)
2. Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces: "We are determined to educate schools on this by having the students, staff, and maintenance crews be an integral part of not only the planting itself, but also the education that informs them on how to care for their new trees in the long term." (2)
3. Improved physical health: "Trees offer many critical functions such as shade, pollution reduction, dust reduction, food, increased property value, carbon sequestration, increase in mental and physical health, and more." (4)
4. Increased support for education and scientific research: "We are determined to educate schools on this by having the students, staff, and maintenance crews be an integral part of not only the planting itself, but also the education that informs them on how to care for their new trees in the long term." (2)
Long-term perspective
Unknown: No information about the project's long-term sustainability.
Cost-effective solutions
Unknown
Equitable impacts
A. All stakeholders benefit fairly from the project
Transformative capacity
Social change (e.g. social relationships, networks and dynamics within them)
Magnitude of change
Incremental: shallow; that is, mostly maintaining business-as-usual approaches to adaptation
Application of lessons learned
Unknown
Perception of Environmental Change
Unknown
References
1.
Birzer, D. (2022). APS, elementary school, Trees Matter plant trees to give back to the Valley. [Source link] [Archive];
2.
Trees Matter (n.d.). Trees for Schools. [Source link] [Archive];
3.
Meiners, J. (n.d.). Big data and a money tree: How Phoenix decides where to create more shade. [Source link] [Archive];
4.
Trees Matter (n.d.). About Us. [Source link] [Archive];
5.
Montanari, S. (2020). Will Phoenix Be Able to Plant 100,000 Shade Trees in the Next 10 Years?. [Source link] [Archive];
6.
APS (n.d.). Community Tree Program. [Source link] [Archive];
7.
The Nature Conservancy (2024). Addressing Heat and Air Quality in Phoenix. [Source link] [Archive];
8.
Maricopa Association of Governments (n.d.). Arizona Demographics . [Source link] [Archive];
Comments and notes
Public Images
Overview of volunteers and students planting a tree on the schoolground
APS and students at a Valley school are hoping to make things a little more green in the community by planting trees!
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - Dani Birzer
An overview of three planted trees on the schoolground
APS and students at a Valley school are hoping to make things a little more green in the community by planting trees!
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5)- Dani Birzer