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NEW ORLEANS – On Friday, January 15, the local non-profit, Sustaining Our Urban Landscape, also known as SOUL, will plant 700 trees in Pontchartrain Park, one in front of every home.

SOUL members digging, preparing to plant trees. Photo courtesy Cheryl Gerber.

The planted trees will mitigate storm water runoff, cool and clean the air, and add beauty to the historical site.

“I grew up in Pontchartrain Park and attended church in this neighborhood. This community is historically significant as the country’s first planned suburban community built for Black residents. It deserves a tree canopy that is as notable as its history, and one that protects it from climate change and the storms and flooding that are part of life here,” said SOUL board member Eugene Green.

SOUL members planting trees. Photo courtesy Cheryl Gerber.

To successfully reforest the neighborhood, SOUL’s goal is to fundraise $175,000.

If you’re interested in making a donation, visit soulnola.org/pontchartrainpark,