"...he who plant trees, does not plant for himself, but for posterity; that he will not enjoy their fruit, or recline beneath their shade; but that those who follow after will reap the benefits of his labors."

                                                                                           - Maimonides

The Following is from Miami-Dade County's DERM website:

"Miami-Dade County, long known for its famous beaches and warm winters, is surprisingly lacking in any significant tree cover. A 1996 tree cover analysis by the non-profit group - American Forests - showed that Miami-Dade's urban areas averaged only 10% tree cover.

The County's environmental department (DERM) was alarmed at the additional loss in shade trees caused by the removal of citrus canker impacted trees and petitioned the State Department of Agriculture for money to begin restoring the communal loss of additional shade.

The Adopt-a-Tree Program resulted from the input of community groups, agricultural interests, and government agencies seeking to heal from this loss. The Program is working to foster a heightened awareness of the value of shade trees here in Miami-Dade County.

The Program is designed to strengthen the condition of our community's tree canopy. Therefore, the trees selected for "adoption" are ones that make good shade trees in their adulthood. The program provides both native "ornamental" shade trees and a variety of non-citrus fruit trees."

We at the Waterway Neighborhood would like to take things one step further. In conjunction with the County's Adopt-a-Tree program and our sponsor Tool Stop, which is donating tools and equipment for planting, WNA volunteers will pickup & plant the shade trees for our neighbors.

This program is intended to beautify the neighborhood by improving our tree canopy. We don't have to look very far (Coral Gables, South Miami, Schenley Park, Little Gables, Coconut Grove) see the difference a healthy tree canopy can make in a neighborhood's beauty and property values.

Neighbors interested in volunteering for a Saturday tree planting please contact us.

Neighbors interested in receiving trees please fill out the form and mail it to us for our next planting.

Tree Canopy Study