The Benicia Tree Foundation needs a new Board of Directors. The President and Secretary have served on the Board since 2010, and the Treasurer has been serving since 2012. The mission of the Benicia Tree Foundation is to strengthen community by promoting and supporting tree planting, maintenance and education. A new Board will allow the Foundation to continue this work into 2026 and beyond.
The Foundation is an all-volunteer non-profit organization. Since it was established, the Foundation has recruited nearly 2,900 volunteers to support Benicia’s tree canopy. These volunteers have contributed over 10,500 hours toward planting 1,084 trees in Benicia and maintaining the trees that were planted on public property. These volunteers have learned how to plant the right tree in the right place and how to care for these trees as they grow.
The Foundation has worked with the City of Benicia, the Benicia Unified School District, the State Department of Parks and Recreation, and Caltrans to plant trees in our parks, open spaces, school campuses and highways. Through its Tree Keeper Program, the Foundation has educated many property owners on how they can enjoy the benefits of trees by adding trees to their property.
With a new Board, the Benicia Tree Foundation can expand Benicia’s tree canopy in the following ways:
- Plant shade trees in the city’s parks and open spaces. A potential location would be the Crosstown Trail, a 3-mile paved path through Southampton. Trees could be added to shade the trail segments that pass through open spaces. Trees could also be planted along roadsides adjacent to open space, like Cambridge Drive east of Rose Drive.
- Plant shade trees along I-780. The Caltrans Adopt-a-Highway Program has already allowed tree planting at the Columbus Parkway eastbound off-ramp and the Military West westbound off-ramp. Other locations are available for planting as well.
- Provide free shade trees to residents and businesses. The Foundation’s current Tree Keeper Program has had limited success because it relies on the property owner to purchase the trees. The program might be more popular if free trees were provided, subject to an assessment that identifies locations on the property suitable for shade trees.
New board members can also develop their own ideas for supporting Benicia’s tree canopy. The existing board members are willing to serve as advisors to the new board members. In any case, the existing board will resign from their positions by the end of the year; with gratitude for the community support the Benicia Tree Foundation has received for these many years. If you would like to find out more about this opportunity, send us an email at info@beniciatrees.org.
The top photo shows Benicia’s Crosstown Trail west of Hastings Drive.