10 Best Cities for Urban Forests: Sacramento
Sacramento lays claim to the “World’s Oldest Triathlon,” Eppie’s Great Race, with the twist of kayaking instead of swimming; numerous outdoor theater and concert opportunities; a 33-mile bike trail that accompanies the American River from downtown to Folsom and beyond; and the picturesque Capitol Park surrounding California’s State Capitol, which features 450 varieties of trees and flowering shrubs.
Similar to Denver, Sacramento’s geography and climate are not well suited for most trees, but yet, Sacramento has become known as the City of Trees. The state capital recently completed a best management practices study and experiences strong partnerships between the government, nonprofits and utilities in the area. Sacramento has a strong volunteer base, as thousands of individuals volunteer thousands of hours of work each year, resulting in a labor equivalent of more than $100,000 for the city’s urban forest. Each year, one of the city’s electric utilities and a nonprofit partner to plant 13,000 trees on private property that will provide shade to homes and reduce energy demand.
