b" heat GLOSSARYURBAN FOREST: tion of An urban forest is the collecall of the trees that grow in a city. Every tree in Philadelphia is part of the urban forest, including those found on streets, in parks, along river banks, in natural areas and even the trees that grow in alleys and vacant lots.TREE CANOPY:A tree canopy Putting trees on the to-do list is the layer of branches and By Healthy Roar staff They provide oxygen and help clean theleaves that you Eleanor Emlen Elementary School air. If we dont have trees, we will havecan see if you bad air and it will be hard to breathe, helook up when When Joesays.you are under Caesar wasa tree.growing up,Because trees are so important, his mother ledPhiladelphia government officials have cleanup projectsadopted a 10-year plan to increase the in their Northcitys tree canopy. A tree canopy consists Philadelphiaof the branches and leaves that cover the neighborhood.land.Joe CaesarShe often Community Specialist brought JoePhiladelphia wants to plant enough Trees in our community help us so along, and hedtrees for the canopy to cover 30 much in life. Where I live there are pick up trash and plant trees and flowers,percent of the city, according to the Phillynot a lot of trees, but when I go to he says. Tree Plan: Growing Our Urban Forest.the park or the woods there are trees Those early experiences set him onJust 20 percent of the city has a treeeverywhere. People need trees to live canopy now. But some places have a lot a career path to work in parks andmore trees than others.and I just don't get why people cut environmental education. For the past 10them down. So I'm glad that people years, he has been the senior communityThe Philly Tree Plan shows a number ofhelp plant trees around the world. They initiative specialist and manages thereasons the city needs more trees. Thealso give homes for birds and animals TreeKeepers program in Philadelphia. Theplan says trees help: and it gives shade for people outside in city program hires teens and young adultsOffer protection from heat. the park. But overall the trees are just to plant and prune trees, remove vines,so pretty! and take care of natural areas. They alsoImprove mental health and wellness.give free trees to city residents at dozensKay Gaines, 5th grade,of neighborhood events every year. Prevent flooding. Emlen Healthy RoarTrees have so many benefits, says Mr. Joe,Mr. Joe says the city wants to plant as he likes to be called. thousands of trees over the next five years in Philadelphia. He encourages kids Cleaning up and beautifying ato see whether a tree might be right for neighborhood encourages people to puttheir neighborhood and seek other ways their trash in a can instead of throwing itto beautify their environment. on the ground, he says. It also can help cut down on crime. A recent scientific studyMr. Joe tells us that we can make a even shows that there is a link betweendifference in our neighborhood as he did more trees in a neighborhood and lesswith his mothermaybe even plant a tree.firearm violence, according to an article on the University of Pennsylvania website. I want you to start thinking about (See: https://tinyurl.com/penntree) problem-solving in your environment, he says. And about what you can do to be the Trees have other benefits, Mr. Joe says.change agent.Page 14 illustrations by Lorraine Brown-Gause, 8th grade, DePaul Healthy Trailblazer Journal (trees) | Cynthia Rojas, 8th grade, Catholic Partnership Schools Healthy Courier (Camden) 14B Y K I D S , F O R K I D S | S p r i n g 2 0 2 3 Page 15 illustrations by Jess Alameno, 7th grade, East Norriton Bulldog Bulletin"