Tree Planting on June 4

Post Date:05/26/2017 2:46 PM

On Sunday, June 4th, Park City Municipal and Summit Lands Conservancy are partnering up to plant trees, and we need your help!

**Click HERE to sign up**

  • Who: You! Volunteers are discouraged from bringing dogs and small children as the work will be moderately strenuous and there will be a lot of activity going on.
  • Why: to help tackle climate change
  • When: Sunday, June 4th at 9:00 am
  • Where: meet at the Quinns Trailhead by the Park City Ice Arena. We’ll plant the trees in Round Valley.
  • What (to bring): gloves, a shovel, water and snacks.

Park City has the most ambitious climate goals in North America: net-zero carbon and running on 100% renewable electricity by 2032 for the whole community (and by 2022 for municipal operations). Being a leader means we need to get creative.

Not only are we looking at ways to reduce our carbon emissions, but also exploring how we can increase the amount of carbon that our lands soak up; our carbon sinks. Plants and trees are one of nature’s best carbon sinks, as they capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during photosynthesis and lock it away from the atmosphere for some time.

With advisory from USU extension, we have identified the best tree and shrub species native to Park City that will soak up the most carbon. Now we want to get them in the ground to test which native species grow the best, with the least amount of maintenance and water. The plantings will not be a part of a landscaped area, rather in natural areas. This pilot project, and the outcomes that come from it, will help shape future tree planting sites and carbon sink strategies. Need more info? Contact celia.peterson@parkcity.org

 

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Departments » Sustainability » Regeneration

Biochar

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Although wildfires are a healthy part of many ecosystems in the Intermountain West, the risk from catastrophic wildfires continues to increase in communities like Park City. Years of fire suppression, coupled with a hotter and drier climate and the continued development of subdivisions close to forestlands, presents the difficult challenge of trying to protect communities while also managing fire in a way that does not exacerbate climate change.

In 2019, Park City was among eight communities to recently receive a Leader in Community Resilience Program award from the National League of Cities (NLC). The award will support the city’s work in developing a biochar program to reduce excess forest fire fuels such as brush and wood debris, and return that carbon to Park City's soils.

Biochar is a charcoal-like material that can be used in carbon sequestration efforts. It is made by burning the excess forest fuels in an oxygen-free environment. Biochar is rich in carbon and in this case, will be collected from defensible spaces, that is the natural or landscaped area around a structure that is maintained and designed to reduce fire danger. Park City held a public demonstration in May 2019 to teach the public about how biochar is made, where it can be used on the landscape, and how it can reduce fire danger locally.

The forests surrounding most structures in the community contain a lot of poor-quality lumber that has the potential to be turned into biochar. This biochar, in turn, can be applied to farm fields and open spaces.

Get in touch to learn more!