Tree distribution in action.
After receiving a whopping $3-million gift from the Kinder Foundation, Trees For Houston, the nonprofit that’s been busy planting 20,000 trees since the pandemic began, is now busy with another exciting new venture: A forthcoming 1.5-acre compound, called the Kinder Campus, will break ground at 2001 W. 34th St. later this year (in winter).
The property will feature an on-site tree nursery, office space, and an education center, and it will expand the nonprofit’s capacity to distribute more trees and offer educational programming. Kirksey Architecture and Lauren Griffith Associates have designed the site with notable “green” features in mind—a cistern to catch rainwater for irrigation, plus permeable surface area replacing concrete.
The future site.
Trees For Houston’s has also received three other major gifts, including $1 million from Kyle and John Kirksey, Sr; $750,000 from Chevron; and $500,000 from the Ruth and Ted Bauer Family Foundation and the C.T. Bauer Foundation.
Along with creating much-needed facilities that will better engage on-site volunteers and provide enriching educational opportunities for local school districts and the community, the move will allow the nonprofit to consolidate its growing operations into two main tree farms, boosting annual tree distribution by 20 percent in one year. The tree nursery on site will provide easy access to free and low-cost trees during the week and on weekends.
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