In an effort to restore Tampa’s renowned tree canopy following back-to-back hurricanes, the City of Tampa is announcing a new partnership with Suncoast Credit Union and Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful called “Plant Your Heart Out.”
Modeled after Tampa’s successful Paint Your Heart Out Program, the new tree planting initiative will be managed by Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful and is supported by an initial $50,000 donation from Suncoast Credit Union.
“This is a generous and important contribution from Suncoast Credit Union, and I am so grateful for this investment in Tampa’s quality of life, resiliency, and sustainability,” said Mayor Jane Castor.
Suncoast Credit Union President and CEO Kevin Johnson said the company shares Mayor Castor’s commitment to growing Tampa’s tree canopy.
“Restoring the canopy after two major hurricanes is vital to the health of our community,” said Kevin Johnson, Suncoast Credit Union President and CEO. “Very similar to our mission of improving the lives of our members, this effort with Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful allows us to focus on environmental needs which lines up perfectly with our mutual goals to create a stronger, healthier community through the strategic planting of trees and shrubs on private properties, and we are enthusiastic about this partnership.”
While the City of Tampa is undertaking separate programs to plant trees on city owned property, such as right-of-way and in city parks, the goal of the new program is to encourage residents to plant trees on private property. The program will offer a variety of sizes and types of trees. Realistically, restoring the canopy with large shade trees will take years — or decades — to fully accomplish.
Many of the trees lost during the hurricane were older, less resilient trees, such as laurel and water oak. The new program will focus on trees that are both resilience to salt and wind, but also provide the multitude of benefits including shade, stormwater uptake, air quality improvements, soil retention and health, and habitat biodiversity.
Urban foresters for the city estimate the storms may have destroyed as much as 5% of the shade canopy, which had reached it lowest level since the city started tracking canopy cover in 1973. In the 2021 report, Tampa reported the city had a 30% tree cover, down from a high of 34.6% in 1995.
Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful will coordinate with Tampa’s Neighborhood Associations and other grassroots organizations seeking to increase tree canopy in their community.
Residents interested in the program should contact their neighborhood association leaders to set an introductory session to assess how many neighbors would like trees, the species and sizes available, tree planting guidelines, and to schedule a planting. The City of Tampa AmeriCorps Green Team will assist with planting. Read more information on the program.
About Suncoast Credit Union¶
Suncoast CreditUnion is the largest credit union in the state of Florida, the 8th largest inthe United States based on membership, and the 10th largest in the UnitedStates based on its $18.4 billion in assets. Chartered in 1934 as Hillsborough County Teachers Credit Union, Suncoast Credit Union currently operates 81 full-service branches and serves more than 1.2million members across Florida. As a community credit union, anyone who lives, works, attends school, or worships in Suncoast Credit Union’s service area is eligible for membership. In 2021, Suncoast Credit Union’s field of membership was expanded to include public K-12 teachers,college educators, and educational support staff from all of Florida’s 67 counties. Suncoast is passionate about community support. Since its founding in 1990, theSuncoast Credit Union Foundation has raised and donated more than $53 millionto organizations and initiatives that support the health, education, andemotional well-being of children in the communities that the credit unionserves. For more information, visit suncoast.com or follow us on social media: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.