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Forestation: Trees For Houston challenge changing Houston freeways to treeways
 Multi-lane, elevated freeways and their massive interchanges are a necessary element of big city existence. However, these barren structures leave terrible scars on the Houston landscape. Trees For Houston envisions our freeway rights-of-way and major interchanges filled with healthy green trees which add to the beauty of the city and to the quality of life of for all Houstonians.
The Trees For Houston Challenge is one of the largest private sector tree planting campaigns initiated in the United States. It focuses on the planting and maintenance of small trees and seedlings in green spaces along Houston freeways and 15 gallon trees planted along Houston’s major thoroughfares.
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 The Trees For Houston goal is accomplished through a corporate Challenge to every Houston area employer. Employers are encouraged to honor their employees with a $20 donation to Trees For Houston. By answering this challenge, local employers help change Houston streets and freeways to "treeways."
The beautiful forest of loblolly pine trees and hardwood trees at the northwest corner of the interchange of Loop 610 and Highway 290 serves as the model for the Trees For Houston Challenge. Tree-lined Kirby Drive is an example of parkway reforestation, with over 900 trees planted from Shepherd to the Astrodome.
Planting has also taken place at the interchanges of Loop 610 with Interstate 10, Highway 59, Highway 288 and Highway 290. Our initial focus is on the foresting of the large, open areas of freeway rights-of-way, especially those surrounding major interchanges.
Clear Lake Dodge answered the Trees For Houston Challenge with a generous donation that enabled us to plant approximately 117 live oak and bald cypress trees at the intersection of Almeda Genoa and I-45. The planting was delayed several years due to construction in this area, which prevented us from obtaining permission from TxDOT to plant. However, the planting was finally completed last season and Trees For Houston would like to congratulate Clear Lake Dodge for helping make Houston a greener and cleaner place to live!
Freeway interchange plantings are predominately composed of pine seedlings but also include various species of hardwoods from 5 and 15-gallon containers. Since 1992, we have planted 4,813 Challenge trees and 123,532 seedlings along highways in Houston.
Trees in cities are dying four times as fast as they are being replaced. You can help reverse that trend by answering the Trees For Houston Challenge today.
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288 Sees Green
Trees For Houston partnered with Texas Department of Transportation and BIO Landscape & Maintenance for the recent urban reforestation project along State Highway 288 from Blodgett to Binz. The 4.2 acres along 288 has 1,148 mixed species of 30-gallon or larger trees and 1,700 pampass grass containers. The reforestation project was the result of a generous donation of over $144,000 in design costs, labor, irrigation and equipment by BIO Landscape & Maintenance, and the commitment by Trees For Houston to maintain the project for 2 years at no cost to the State of
Texas . Representative Garnet Coleman had the inspiration and vision to develop the Green Ribbon Project in 1997. He is helping change
Houston “Freeways to Treeways.” Thanks to legislation that Representative Coleman authored and passed, the vision has been extended to benefit all Texans.
Trees For Houston looks forward to more projects and partnerships like 288 in the near future.
 
288 Before 288 After
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