Mapping Tree Equity: How Century-Old Policies Shaped Rochester’s Canopy

Rochester’s trees are celebrated, but not everyone gets to have their time in the shade
Source: Democrat & Chronicle

Set back a few dozen feet in a scrubby clover field at Joseph Avenue and Berlin Street, ringed by bollards and chain-link fencing, stands a tree covered in wishes.

They're written on thin banners of red, yellow, black and white, tied down on both ends to guard against the whipping wind. 

"I wish for Black heritage to take the forefront to inspire and inform."

"My wish is to stop all violence and bad people."

"I wish everyone could heal so they can find purpose."

The messages belong to members of Avenue BlackBox Theatre across the street.

Banner ribbons with wishes written on them hang from a box elder tree in an empty lot along Joseph Avenue. The wishes were written by members of The Avenue BlackBox Theatre, which is across the street.

"There are many things we draw inspiration from," the theater's founder and director, Reenah Golden, said. "We want to start with nature first and foremost."

This tree, a towering box elder, is at the center of the vision. It is also one of the few significant trees on this stretch of Joseph Avenue, a corridor that is one of the city's poorest and also one of the least tree-covered. The combination of those two factors is not a coincidence.

‘No trees, no shade’

For this series of stories, the Democrat and Chronicle assembled a comprehensive data set related to trees, air quality and health outcomes in the city of Rochester, including state-of-the-art granular tree cover data from EarthDefine.

It shows disparities in tree cover across Rochester that are rooted in public policy choices going back more than a century.

"You can see when you just walk or drive around this part of town – you just don’t see trees," said Luis Burgos, the former director of Recreation and Youth Services in the city of Rochester, who grew up on Joseph Avenue. "In the summer it’s just so bright. Then when you go on Park Avenue and those side streets, it’s so comfortable."