Groundwork NRG Transforms a Vacant Lot into a Micro-Forest

For Groundwork NRG, celebrating Earth Day is all about making a difference in global issues like climate change here in our local community of Northeast KCK. And the work isn’t just limited to one day on the calendar!

Students from Sumner Academy plant trees on April 10, 2024.

Over the past two weeks, more than 50 students and community volunteers planted 75 trees in a formerly vacant lot located on the 800 block of Oakland Ave., between Sumner and the new Boulevard Lofts apartment complex. The new Douglass/Sumner Greenspace will be a micro-forest of native trees right in the heart of downtown KCK. The project is a collaboration between Groundwork NRG and Community Housing of Wyandotte County, who recently developed the Boulevard Lofts project and worked with the Douglass/Sumner Neighborhood association to identify creating new greenspace as a priority project for the neighborhood.

Over time, the micro-forest will provide extensive shade in a neighborhood where the temperature in the summer is often 15 degrees hotter than in surrounding areas. This difference is caused by the Urban Heat Island Effect, in which neighborhoods with less tree canopy and more impervious surfaces like concrete experience much higher temperatures than areas with more trees and green space.

Thirty-five Sumner students and two faculty members participated in the project.

The planting kicked off with a student volunteer day on April 10. Thirty-five students and two faculty members from the International Baccalaureate Diploma program at Sumner Academy joined 4 members of Groundwork NRG’s Green Team youth workforce development program . The students learned about environmental justice and tree equity in the classroom, and then headed outside for hands-on instruction in tree planting from local arborist Molly Gosnell. In all, the students planted 50 trees at the site.

Then, on April 20, ECHO volunteers, ranging in age from 8 to 81, joined the Green Team and other community members to plant an additional 25 trees.

ECHO members plant trees on April 20, 2024.

All told, volunteers planted 75 trees, including native species such as Northern Red Oaks, Kentucky Coffeetrees, Tulip Trees, and Silky Dogwoods. In addition to providing shade, these species will improve air quality, prevent flooding, and provide habitat for birds and insects that will increase the biodiversity of the neighborhood.
For more information about future tree planting programs and other climate resilience programs at Groundwork NRG, contact Blue Tyx, Climate Justice Organizer, at btyx@northeastkck.org.