Experts say it’s a difficult problem to fix, but worth trying to do so
When choosing which neighborhood to live in, buyers are often considering factors such as rent, public transportation or safety. David Meshoulam thinks they need to add another priority to the list: trees.
Meshoulam is the executive director at Speak for the Trees Boston, a nonprofit that hopes to expand the tree canopy across the city. Specifically, the organization hopes to improve “tree equity,” as neighborhoods with higher median incomes and fewer people of color tend to have more tree cover.
“I’m not saying people have to plant trees in every space they see in their lives, but they need to shift their perspective on why they’re important.”
Research has found that trees in urban areas not only combat climate change through lowering air temperatures and absorbing carbon pollution but also hold benefits for human health. Access to trees was linked to improved mental health and immune systems, lower levels of skin cancer and fewer respiratory conditions, according to one 2020 literature review in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
Speak for the Trees produces data-informed maps of Boston’s current tree canopy, though Meshoulam said the organization is looking at a “20-year horizon” as the hundreds of trees they’ve planted grow enough to provide that canopy.
“I’m trying to steer conversations away from short-term impact,” he said.
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The map below examines the actual number of city trees that do or will one day provide canopy by neighborhood, shaded by the number of trees per 100 people.
West Roxbury has the highest concentration of trees per capita, followed by Downtown Boston and Back Bay/Beacon Hill. All of these neighborhoods have median incomes over $110,000 and are over 60% white, according to a 2024 city report.
Mission Hill has the fewest trees per capita (3.32) by far and a median income of $55,000, which is $30,000 lower than Boston’s overall median income. The neighborhood is also home to a more diverse group of residents than the areas with the most trees.
Because of how closely tied tree cover and neighborhood affluence are, it can be difficult to fix disparities in major cities, said Alessandro Rigolon, professor of urban planning at the University of Utah.
“There’s significant research showing the lack of capacity and the lack of interest in terms of planting trees, watering them for three to five years, and so on.”
Rigolon, who’s published research on green space’s benefits for physical health, believes cities need to focus on “nature-based solutions” to urban living and climate change. This includes planting trees along with building parks and green corridors, he said.
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Another neighborhood map is shaded by acres of green space per 100 residents. Green space here includes parks, playgrounds, athletic fields, parkways, reservations, urban wilds and community gardens.
West Roxbury again has the highest concentration (2.16 acres per 100 people), but Hyde Park, which only has 5.24 trees on the streets per 100 people, has the second-highest green space concentration. Downtown Boston and Back Bay/Beacon Hill, which top the list for tree cover, have a quarter an acre of green space or less per 100 people.
This implies certain neighborhoods have higher levels of green space but fewer trees in residential areas. This provides some physical and mental benefits but not all the same climate solutions or shade-based benefits of tree cover. The green space data also hold less in common with income and demographic trends than the street tree cover data.
Meshoulam said trees on streets and in residential areas rather than parks are more valuable for human impact.
“Proximity to people is what’s important. A tree in Franklin Park is providing fewer human services than the same tree in your backyard. So not all trees are created equal, and it’s great to bring people to trees, but our mission is to bring trees to people.”
This article was produced for HorizonMass, the independent, student-driven, news outlet of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism and is syndicated by BINJ’s MassWire news service.
