History
Greening and Cooling Texas Since 1982
Texas Trees is a leading urban forestry nonprofit with a commitment to green and healthy communities. Over the past 43 years, Texas Trees has supported the growth and stewardship of urban forests, contributing to healthier, green communities through research, education, and public, private, and community partnerships. As a leading voice and resource to communities and decision makers, Texas Trees has partnered with city governments, school districts, developers, businesses, and community organizations, as well as numerous state, local, and national organizations.
Mission of Texas Trees Foundation
The mission of the Texas Trees Foundation is improving the health of cities and people through the transformative power of trees.
Texas Trees advances urban forestry through collaboration, education, and action to realize healthy, resilient landscapes for people and trees.
1982
Founded in 1982
Texas Trees was established as the Dallas Parks Foundation by Dallas leaders Robert Decherd and Trammell Crow, supporting greening projects throughout Dallas in partnership with the Dallas Parks and Recreation Department.
1988
The Dallas Parks Foundation merged with the Junior League’s Treescape Dallas initiative, expanding its landscape and forestry expertise. In 2004, the organization opened its first tree farm near Woodall Rodgers Freeway.
1994
Pioneer Plaza features bronze sculptures that depict early trail drives of Texas longhorns and has become one of the most popular tourist sites
2003
Texas Trees expanded its focus to six counties around Dallas and adopted its current name, emphasizing tree planting, giveaways, and urban forestry education.
2004
Opening of our TXU Energy Urban Tree Farm and Education center at Dallas College - Richland Campus
2006
Partnered with the Super Bowl XLV-NFL Environmental Program to launch Super Grow XLV and planted over 6,000 trees
2007
Janette Monear joined Texas Trees as President and CEO, bringing visionary leadership, deep urban forestry expertise, and a passion for trees that shaped the organization’s next chapter.
2010
Texas Trees completed its first strategic plan, expanding its mission beyond tree planting to focus on education, research, partnerships, and healthy communities.
This included the launch of the GIS Roadmap Model for Urban Tree Planning & Planting
2012
Introduced urban forestry initiative in North Texas with the support of 40 mayors
2013
Inventoried 100% of the tree canopy on the Southern Methodist University campus
2014
Conducted comprehensive tree inventories at Abilene Christian University and in Downtown Dallas
2015
Launched State of the Dallas Urban Forest Report with Mayor Rawlings
2016
Launched Cool Schools Program
2017
Created Dallas Urban Heat Island Mitigation Study with Dr. Brian Stone, School of City and Regional Planning, Georgia Institute of Technology, which inspired several programs still growing today.
2017
Completed comprehensive tree inventory at the George W. Bush Center and Library
2018
Accepted invitation by Laura Bush to Texan by Nature Conservation Wrangler program
2019
$2.5 million challenge grant met, gifted by Lyda Hill Philanthropies, to reach a total of $5 million for the Southwestern Medical District Streetscape plan
2020
Partnered with PlanIt Geo to develop an interactive online tree mapping website
2021
City of Dallas unanimous acceptance of Urban Forest Master Plan
2022
Celebrated 40th Anniversary
2022
COMING SOON… Dallas Tree Equity Planting Map & Nature Lab
2023
Fort Worth Urban Forest Master Plan
2023
Green Jobs Workforce Program
2024
Texas Trees launched a new strategic plan focused on clear outcomes, human health and well-being, evidence-based design, and biophilic urban design.
THE VISION
In five years, Texas Trees will continue to be a leading voice in the field of urban forestry, improving landscapes for human health across cities using two primary levers:
● Place-based transformations that integrate trees and greening into the urban landscape.
● Education and advocacy, which build knowledge, appreciation, and capacity to increase collective action
to promote healthy trees, places, and people
Texas Trees will realize this vision by achieving the following five-year goals:
Cultivate a strong urban tree canopy by planting, protecting, and caring for trees at a scale that improves human health: 10,000 trees per year by 2029.
Create enduring and thriving places that embed best practices in evidence-based design, substantially and measurably transforming the Southwestern Medical District and other neighborhoods to be cooler and cleaner using methods and means shown to correlate to improvements in human health.
Inspire and educate passionate urban forest stewards to transform policies and systems, in addition to continuing the work of planning, planting, and educating others.
Maximize the impact of trees and green infrastructure in communities with the greatest need for trees (e.g. based on differences in tree canopy and health outcomes)
WHERE ARE WE PLANTING?
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Recent Number of Trees Planted0
Lifetime Monetary Value of TreesDonate
Please consider donating to support the Texas Trees Foundation’s urban forestry mission. Your contributions will go toward funding our programs and projects.
Volunteer
Interested in getting directly involved with the Texas Trees Foundation? Learn more about upcoming opportunities and Tree Tender volunteer events.
Resources
Browse our many reports and studies about urban forestry in North Texas. In addition to information on Pioneer Plaza and our Tree Tracker platform.