Urban forestry program aims to increase tree canopy in Albany

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The University at Albany is planting the seeds to make the city of Albany greener. Emma Roylance and Dr. Ríobart Breen are helping urban forestry bloom as they check on the health of the newly planted tree on campus.

Through the new Institute for Transformational and Ecosystem Based Climate Adaptation (ITECA), Dr. Breen and his team focus on nature-based solutions for climate change. Their latest initiative digs deep into urban areas facing extreme heat challenges.

He explained, "In urban Albany, in some of the disadvantaged communities, there is very, very low tree canopy coverage."

He went on to explain that the mix of concrete and steel structures in densely populated areas and the heat can have deadly consequences. "Extreme heat can be so devastating for people that are out there waiting for a bus or out on the sidewalk walking. These are disadvantaged communities where people are not using their own cars," Breen said.

Part of the solution is to go green and plant more trees. Breen told NEWS10 they plan to plant 100 trees each year over the next five years with the help of a state-funded $50,000 STAR grant. 

"Having trees there that can provide shade and cooling can have a life-or-death difference for a lot of people," Breen added. "There is a lot of hope to this. What we can do right now, there are a lot of young people who know the science."

Young people like Roylance, who said, "One of the things we find is local action is where the biggest changes take place."

The plants get their start in the greenhouse. Then they're taken outdoors once they grow to get to the elements. "At that point, they'll become large enough where we can take those trees and plant them downtown," she explained. "We will be doing a lot of different tree care -- watering and pruning -- so we can make sure these trees are healthy enough to provide that urban canopy we are looking for."

The biggest challenge according to both Roylance and Breen is having enough supply of native trees. Through the grant, their hope is to create more of a pipeline of native plants and train students in growing and cultivating trees for optimal growing.