In addition to the beauty they bring to any city, a neighborhood of trees can be 10° cooler than one without any. Trees are a critical source for life, providing the oxygen we breathe, absorbing significant amounts of carbon which lessens potential damage and disruption caused by climate change, as well as providing additional ecosystem services.

This three part Gloucester 400+ program will take place during 2023 & 2024 and will include: Planting 400 native trees in Gloucester; Locating and documenting the oldest trees in the city; and Educating adults and children about the value of trees to the city and our local ecosystem.

The city of Gloucester has committed to planting 200 trees in our parks, forests and public spaces. This is a match to the original 200 trees funded by Cape Ann Elms and Biomimicry New England. To date this year 130 trees been planted in Gloucester including 20 trees planted at Burnham's Field by the 100TreesProject. The City has planted 50 additional trees in Stage Fort Park, other parks and is continuing to plant.

This will be done as a collaboration with Sawyer Free Library, Cape Ann YMCA and Biomimicry New England. In addition to working with the volunteers who have already contacted us, our objective is to include this as a STEAM project in after school and other programs at the Y and the Library.

Pilot projects have begun with Plum Cove Elementary School and O’Maley Middle School. An important resource for this work is Natures Best Hope by Douglas Tallamy and the young readers edition that came out last year.. This is also be done in collaboration with the Cape Ann Y and Sawyer Free Library working with their educational programs including youth engagement initiatives.

We are looking for residents to help us with planting in high-need areas of the city (mostly in central Gloucester) where tree canopy is lacking. We need your help to identify where trees are needed on residential properties! Fill out this form to join our community tree efforts!

Collaboration with Gloucester's different communities through volunteer participation will be essential to reaching our goal of 400 trees. We are looking for volunteers who can help us plant trees, collect data on existing and recently planted trees and support your neighborhood by becoming a Tree Care Coach. Volunteers and additional partners are also needed for developing and delivering our educational programs, recruiting teams to locate and measure our oldest trees, representatives from neighborhoods that most need trees and more.

Financial support is very important to help us expand our tree planting including the size and quality of the trees, to support and maintain the trees we have planted, for development and materials for our educational programs and projects, for guest speakers and unforeseen contingencies. Biomimicry New England is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and all donations are tax-deductible.

Contact 400TreesGloucester@gmail.com to find out how you can donate!

In 2024, 400 Trees is transitioning from a two-year project to a permanent program called Gloucester Trees that that will initially be housed within Biomimicry New England, to ultimately become an independent organization. We will continue to promote tree equity and leverage the power of trees as a climate resilience tool for Gloucester, while educating youth and adults about the power of trees to the local ecosystem. We’re seeking advisors and supporters with diverse sets of skills to help us with this transition! Reach out via our form if you think you could help!