What's your favorite tree? Red oak, Norway maple and lemon were among the answers when students gathered on Oct. 13 for Trees and Community: Becoming a Better Neighbor, a workshop hosted by Temple’s Office of Sustainability at the Howard Gittis Student Center.  

The workshop brought together representatives from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) and a local Tree Tenders group, along with Hamil Pearsall, a Temple professor of geography, environment and urban studies. Together, they shared the environmental benefits of urban trees, practical ways to care for them on Main Campus and throughout the city, and opportunities for community stewardship and civic engagement. 

“We think of trees as really critical investments in our campus resilience because of the environmental benefits they provide, from stormwater management and biodiversity to shade relief when temperatures rise,” said Caroline Burkholder, senior sustainability manager at Temple. “This workshop gave us an opportunity to talk about how our care and stewarding of our trees support their long-term health and ensure they continue to make a positive impact both on campus and in the surrounding community.”  

In particular, students learned about PHS’s year-round work to create healthy living environments across Philadelphia through public gardens, tree planting and training programs that teach the community how to care for their urban environment. The organization also offers several programs that expand access to fresh fruit and that students can participate in. 

Matt Connell, co-leader of Heritage Tree Tenders, a tree-planting and pruning stewardship group under PHS, explained how planting more trees helps address a range of environmental concerns. 

“Having a more robust urban canopy is going to benefit public health in countless ways,” he said. “There are higher-than-average temperatures, especially in many of the neighborhoods that we serve, so by planting more trees we are making sure those temperatures are reduced. Water is also conserved, crime rates are reduced and traffic is mitigated as well. We actively advocate around our neighborhoods to encourage horticulture, especially planting street trees.” 

Participants also learned about barriers to tree planting, inequities in Philly’s tree canopy and the efforts by the Philly Tree Coalition to address these disparities.  

“I valued learning the benefits of having more trees in the city, such as increased public safety, reduced heat island effect and safer roads,” said workshop participant Alejandro Sanoja, a Class of 2028 ecology, evolution and biodiversity major and president of the Temple Community Garden. “Hearing about their obstacles, like funding, maintenance and community buy-in, helped me think more about how we as Temple students can support their work and be a good neighbor. I learned that showing up consistently builds trust with longtime residents and leaves the community better than we found it.” 

Environmental studies student Abigail Fermann, Class of 2028, attended the workshop because she previously researched the urban heat island effect and tree canopy, so she was curious to learn more about what local groups can do to help increase tree canopy throughout the city. 

“It was insightful to learn from this workshop the number of ways that I can get involved in helping to plant and maintain trees throughout the city,” said Fermann, who is also in the 4+1 for city and regional planning master's program in Temple’s Tyler School of Art and Architecture. 

“As climate change continues to create extreme heat events throughout the city, we learned that increasing our tree canopy is one of the ways we can mitigate it.”  

Isabella Miller, CST ’26, a student worker for the Office of Sustainability and Ambler Field Station through the Climate Resiliency Fellowship, was initially unsure how to get involved in tree initiatives in Philadelphia. She found that talking with the Tree Tenders in this workshop gave her avenues for getting involved and showcased possible careers in conservation.  

“I really valued learning from the Tree Tenders about outreach and having conversations with the local community about the importance of trees,” said Miller, who is in Temple’s 4+1 professional science master's program for sustainability with a concentration in biodiversity and conservation. 

“Their suggestion to ask community members about their past experiences and future aspirations around nature stood out because it moves away from the rigidity of the ‘agenda’ and promotes authentic conversations that can facilitate change,” she added. 

Learn more about participating in volunteer opportunities, events and programs with the Office of Sustainability, and follow Sustainability and their partners on Instagram: @tusustainability, @phillytreecoalition, @phsgardening. 

Temple’s campus tree mapping and interactive StoryMaps can be explored online through the Tree Inventory Map (Main Campus), Temple Health Sciences Center Sustainable Campus Map and the Office of Sustainability website.