PUBLISHED: March 2026 by Nick Stiltner, Conservation Technician.
From February 23 to 27, 2026, the HPB Conservation & Maintenance team conducted a tree planting effort along the Hunting Bayou Greenway Trail using funds provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) for the ForUsTree initiative, a five-year forestry effort to plant trees, strengthen neighborhoods, and create green job opportunities. The groundwork was completed by an American Youth Works crew, Texas Conservation Corps (TXCC), as well as HPB staff and local tree vendors. 2025 was our first year utilizing the funds for this project, and we planted 70 Trees along Sims Bayou.
For our 2026 project, HPB planted 80, 15- to 30-gallon-sized trees along Hunting Bayou. The site is on the north side of Hunting Bayou, along the Bayou Greenways Trail, between Wayne Street and Wipprecht Street. This location was chosen due to the need for shade trees along this stretch of trail, as well as its proximity to our already managed sites. It is also in a historically and environmentally underserved community that can be enhanced by the benefits that trees provide. The area is within a Harris County Flood Control District right-of-way, and we were given permission by them to plant in this area.
The species we planted are all Texas natives, with a specific focus on species that can grow tall and provide wide canopy cover for shade and heat mitigation. The species list included Loblolly Pine, American Sycamore, American Elm, Live Oak, and Burr Oak. I also incorporated native fruit trees such as Mexican Plum and Pecan to entice wildlife and provide a small pocket “food forest” to the community.
Overall funding for this project was provided by the USDA Forest Service, Urban and Community Forestry Program, in partnership with HARC (Houston Area Research Center), an independent, sustainability-focused nonprofit. The HPB Conservation & Maintenance team is proud to be able to contribute to such an ambitious and important initiative.
Over the next four years, our team will be working on at least one yearly project associated with the ForUsTree grant. These opportunities 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.
