Green Cities Accord (formerly Green Minneapolis) and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) partnered to launch the first urban tree planting project to issue carbon credits in the State of Minnesota. This project includes 23,755 trees that were planted on public land in the City of Minneapolis between 2019 and 2021. The trees were planted in public right-of-way along city streets as well as on other park board land. The project is the first urban tree carbon offset project in the State of Minnesota.

In addition to sequestering carbon, this project has many other positive impacts for the residents of Minneapolis. This project helps address environmental equity disparities by prioritizing tree-planting in areas of Minneapolis that have high rates of poverty and low percentage tree canopy cover. Trees planted in this project will reduce heat island effects, reduce stormwater runoff and capture particulate air pollution.

This project is a part of Green Cities Accord’s Twin Cities Climate Resiliency Initiative, a public/private partnership focused on significantly expanding the urban tree canopy across Minneapolis and the seven county Twin Cities metropolitan area. Designed to address the most harmful impacts of climate change on Twin Cities residents, it is a 20-year vision to increase the metro area’s tree canopy through planting and maintaining five million trees on public and private lands, with a focus on addressing environmental inequities in the most disadvantaged communities.

Total Credits Issued: 4,887

• 2022: 4,887 credits issued

Total Credits Sold: 3,856

• 2022: 750 credits sold
• 2023: 150 credits sold
• 2024: 2,742 credits sold
• 2025: 214 credits sold

Total Credits Retired: 3,106

• 2023: 150 credits retired
• 2024: 2,479 credits retired
• 2025: 477 credits retired

Total Credits Cancelled: 0

Total Credits Available for Purchase: 1,031

Co-Benefits

Trees planted as part of this project will provide ecosystem services, also known as co-benefits, when they reach 25 years old. The co-benefits represent a savings (avoided costs) of $1,753,280.78 per year when the trees reach age 25, and $43,832,019.50 over the next 25 to 50 years.

• Rain interception (stormwater management) – 124,911.99 m3/year, $894,252.94 per year
• Air quality – 3.7169 tons/year, $15,302.66 per year
• Energy use – cooling (electricity) – 3,983,352.77 kWh/year, $302,336.48 per year
• Energy use – heating (natural gas) – 55,614,135.61 kBtu/year, $541,388.71 per year

Social Impacts

The 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an urgent call for action and global partnership among all countries, representing key benchmarks for creating a better world and environment for everyone. Well-designed and managed urban forests make significant contributions to the environmental sustainability, economic viability and livability of cities. The main SDGs for this project are described below, with more detailed information in the Project Design Document.

All trees were planted in the City of Minneapolis, which is a very developed and impervious landscape. Street trees will serve as a screen for particulate air pollution, specifically from traffic. The trees will also reduce and alleviate urban heat effects.

This project planted trees specifically in areas of limited tree coverage that have a high correlation with areas of concentrated poverty. These areas display the highest vulnerability to impacts from climate change and are in need of assistance in greening projects.

Street trees and will shade homes and buildings, reducing heating and cooling costs over time. In addition to sequestering carbon, these trees also increase the stormwater infiltration rate of the urban soils and promote habitat diversity throughout the city.