![\"allentown](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/city-hall-allentown-pa-scaled-e1769639768465-1600x903.jpeg\")
Allentown City Hall, where officials will host a community meeting on the Urban Forestry Master Plan on Feb. 2. Residents can provide feedback on the city\u2019s tree-planting priorities. (Photo: Luzmarie Tavarez)<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really excited that this will be our first community event related to this plan, so I\u2019m excited to get some feedback from the community on what they want to see in this plan too,\u201d said Veronika Vostinak, the city\u2019s sustainability coordinator.<\/p>\n
The plan will include a comprehensive inventory of city trees, a long-term vision for tree planting and care, and specific policies and programs to improve Allentown\u2019s urban forest. A community survey<\/a> is open through mid-February.<\/p>\n The initiative is supported by a $920,800 grant from American Forests<\/a>, a funding partner for the U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s Forest Service<\/a>. The funding will support planting up to 800 street and park trees through 2027, according to a Penn State report prepared for the city. The city must spend the grant by mid-2028, Vostinak said.<\/p>\n Equity focus<\/p>\n \u201cThe process of the plan will be to look at the city overall with a special lens for traditionally underserved areas and areas with low tree canopy,\u201d Vostinak said. The plan \u201cwill look at projects, policies, and programs that the city can take on to help to improve and make the tree canopy more beneficial for all of Allentown, but more equitable overall.\u201d<\/p>\n Allentown faces significant heat vulnerability, with some urban areas reaching summer surface temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit, according to climate resilience planning data<\/a>. A May 2025 report from Penn State\u2019s Law, Policy, and Engineering Initiative found \u201ca lack of granular data in Allentown, especially within traditionally underserved areas of the city.\u201d<\/p>\n The report identified the city\u2019s hottest surfaces \u2014 east-side corridors, areas near the Lehigh River, and pockets of South Allentown \u2014 as having the fewest street trees and highest renter density, increasing both heat exposure and barriers to tree maintenance.<\/p>\n The city also ranks third in the nation among the most challenging places to live with asthma \u2014 and first for asthma-related emergency room visits \u2014 according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America\u2019s 2025 report<\/a>. Officials say increased tree coverage could help address these public health challenges.<\/p>\n \u201cThis plan will guide how we grow and care for our trees to help cool our city, clean the air and support improved mental and physical health,\u201d Vostinak said.<\/p>\n Tree inventory underway<\/p>\n City crews are currently conducting a street tree inventory to assess existing species, tree conditions and locations where new plantings are needed.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are learning a little bit more about what species are, the conditions, and where the empty wells are, where there\u2019s no longer a tree, to inform us of the areas that need more tree plantings and resources,\u201d Vostinak said.<\/p>\n The plan will also include a species-selection component to determine which trees are best suited to different areas, taking into account factors such as proximity to power lines and local growing conditions.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are shade trees which get bigger and provide more shade, but those may not be the most appropriate in areas where there are power lines overhead or in proximity to utility lines,\u201d Vostinak said. \u201cThe species selection program will help both the city and property owners to determine what trees make the most sense in their particular spot, while also taking into account the biodiversity of the city in the area overall.\u201d<\/p>\n The city is using tools, including the Tree Equity Score from American Forests<\/a>, which identifies areas with low tree canopy and high concentrations of renters or lower-income residents.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a couple of tools that we use,\u201d Vostinak said. \u201cThere\u2019s one tool available to us from American Forests that shows areas with high percentages of renters or lower-income residents. Some tools that show socioeconomic factors, the canopy overall, and provide some goals for where the canopy should be, versus where it is now.\u201d<\/p>\n Language access<\/p>\n The Penn State report also flagged language barriers as a significant obstacle to community participation, noting that outreach materials and public meetings are frequently held only in English despite the city\u2019s majority Latino population.<\/p>\n The report recommended the city publish tree-planting materials in both Spanish and English.<\/p>\n What\u2019s next<\/p>\n A separate climate action plan is also in development.<\/p>\n \u201cWe should be starting our climate action plan in the next couple of months,\u201d Vostinak said. \u201cOur city council approved the technical consultants a couple of months ago, so we\u2019ve just been going through the contracting process and should kick that project off soon.\u201d<\/p>\n Residents can take the urban forestry survey online<\/a> or attend the Feb. 2 meeting to provide feedback.<\/p>\n \n This is the part where we ask.\n <\/p>\n \n No billionaire owner. No paywall. Just you keeping local news free.\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n $5 keeps us going \n 100% funds local journalism.\n <\/p>\n![\"heatmap](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-28-at-5.36.56-PM.png\")
Graphic: Penn State Law, Policy, and Engineering
Initiative<\/p>\n
\n <\/a><\/p>\n
![\"Luzmarie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/luz-marie.webp.webp\")
<\/p>\n