PUBLISHED: January 2026 by Nick Stiltner, Conservation Technician.

Texas Conservation Corps (TXCC) crew members and Nick Stiltner (right)

From December 1 to 5, 2025, the HPB Conservation & Maintenance team conducted a tree planting effort along the Sims Bayou Greenway using funds provided by the ForUSTree Grant. The groundwork was completed by an American Youth Works crew, Texas Conservation Corps (TXCC), as well as Houston Parks Board staff and local tree vendors

Overall funding for this ForUSTree Grant project was provided by the USDA Forest Service, Urban and Community Forestry Program in partnership with HARC (Houston Area Research Center). HARC received a nearly $15 million grant and distributed the funds to a coalition of local partners, including HPB.
This effort, as described by HARC, is a “groundbreaking urban forestry initiative aimed at expanding tree canopy, improving environmental health, and creating green workforce opportunities in underserved communities across Houston and Harris County.” This project, and all future projects within this initiative, are created with these goals in mind, providing new opportunities when it comes to planning and execution.

Over the next five years, our team at HPB will be doing at least one yearly project associated with the grant. Specifically, our goal is to plant a total of 550 native shade trees, up to 30 gallons in size, along the Bayou Greenways trail system. These trees are significantly larger than what we would usually plant at our reforestation sites, but they will be able to provide canopy cover and improve environmental health in a quicker time frame.

To effectively create green workforce opportunities, we have contracted TXCC to do the on-site work. This provides crew members an opportunity to develop hard skills such as tree planting, tool use, and project execution. It will also allow them to network with our organization and any other organizations that are part of the ForUSTree grant.

This year’s project along Sims Bayou, near our existing River Drive site, is located in an underserved community. The area we are planting is currently a mowed lawn, with primarily Bermuda grass, other lawn grasses, and common “weeds.” It lies between the Bayou Greenways trail and a neighborhood along Sims Bayou, within the boundary of a Harris County Flood Control District easement.

In total, we planted 70 trees in this area, with native species such as Live Oak, Loblolly Pine, Sweetgum, Pecan, American Sycamore, and many others. My personal goal was to provide shade for trail users using the larger trees, and then to mimic a successional ecological process using the smaller trees to grow into a full reforested area away from the trail.

The HPB Conservation & Maintenance team is proud to be able to contribute to such an ambitious and important initiative. Grants such as these allow HPB to enhance beautiful greenspaces that benefit entire communities, as well as mitigate environmental challenges. Healthy, native greenspaces reduce flooding, sequester carbon dioxide, provide shade, and reduce temperatures. They also provide innumerable other benefits to our mental health and quality of life, providing an oasis to experience the beauty of nature even in the dense urban sprawl of Houston.

All organizations listed within this article are equal opportunity providers.