This project is a unique collaborative effort between Cawaco RC&D Council Environmental Programs, the City of Birmingham, a diverse, multidisciplinary team from University of Alabama at Birmingham, and numerous local non-profits in Jefferson County, Alabama. Cool Green Trees is supported by the Jefferson County Department of Health.
Cool Green project Story Map, completed in March 2020, identified areas in Jefferson County with the following overlapping characteristics: urban heat islands, flooding, low tree canopy cover and low income. Census block group data was acquired from EPA EnviroAtlas and local data sources.
The next phase will bring local non-profits and prioritized areas together to address possible solutions to Urban Heat Islands, Air Quality and Flooding issues. Solutions are expected to include: Urban forest management plan to ground the action plan in policy, pilot urban tree canopy restoration and monitoring, take action to engage community, youth, workforce and educational resources, and ultimately establish enabling conditions for funding and government support for on-going greening for Cool Green Action.
