Two neighborhoods, one emerging mission.
In 2022, a city contractor removed a beloved 120-year-old Hackberry tree from along Museum Boulevard to make way for a water pipeline. No one warned the neighborhood that their iconic tree would be removed. The anger was palpable. In 2023, the City Council enacted the Tree Canopy Policy to make sure this never happened again.
Around the same time, residents in Delano learned that a developer planned to clear dozens of mature trees from a green space in their neighborhood. The neighborhood organized. They filed a protest petition. They attended mass meetings. They questioned city leaders and staff. In 2023, thanks to the unrelenting advocacy of the neighborhood, that green space became Millwood Park.
The confluence of these two events gave birth to ICT Trees. We incorporated in March 2023. The IRS granted us 501(c)(3) status five months later.
ICT Trees is dedicated to the preservation and expansion of Wichita's tree canopy. Through collaborative efforts, education, and hands-on initiatives, we strive to protect existing trees and foster growth of new ones.
Three ways we're doing it.
Preservation
Some of Wichita's trees have been standing for a hundred years. When a mature tree comes down, it can't be replaced overnight. We monitor threats, show up at city council, and push for policies that treat existing trees as the city assets they are.
Expansion
The neighborhoods that face the worst summer heat are in or near "urban heat islands." Heat islands are areas of the city with lots of concrete buildings, streets, sidewalks and parking lots. We distribute shade trees, free of charge, to homeowners in Wichita's most heat-vulnerable neighborhoods. Each tree comes with mulch and planting guidance.
Education
We lead tree walks with certified arborists, speak to neighborhood associations and faith communities, and help residents understand what's growing in their yards. Knowledge is what makes a tree last.
This is what's happening to our city.
The data is local, specific, and collected by people who care about Wichita. This is not a climate abstraction. It's your neighborhood.
Wichita's urban tree canopy has fallen from 22% to 18% in just eight years, and the decline has not stopped.
Every 1% of Wichita's canopy represents about 78,500 trees. At four percent lost, over 314,000 trees have disappeared from our city since 2018.
Of those losses, roughly 50,000 were removed from city streets, parks, and public property by city crews, and never replanted.
These aren't abstractions on a map. They're neighborhoods where the absence of shade is a health condition, and the people most exposed are least able to move.
Our vision is to create a greener, healthier and more sustainable future for Wichita, where the benefits of a thriving tree canopy are enjoyed by generations to come.
We haven't been sitting still.
The city recognized our work.
The mayor signed a proclamation honoring our work to preserve and promote the city's canopy. The proclamation was read at the Urban TreeFest in Delano's new Millwood Park. This was ICT Trees' first public event.
Wichita passed its first Tree Canopy Policy.
We testified at City Council and witnessed the vote. Wichita now has a formal policy specifying tree planting requirements for city development. Our advocacy is part of how that happened.
213 trees planted.
We've distributed 213 shade trees, all free, all in Wichita's most heat-vulnerable neighborhoods. Every tree planted there is a direct push against the urban heat island effect: shade that cools streets, lowers energy bills, and makes those neighborhoods a little safer in a hotter world.
We're just getting started.
Our 2026 distribution put 100 trees in the ground. We're working with the Park Department's Forestry Section on recruiting volunteers to plant as many as 900 trees on city property in the fall. The goal is to grow this into something the whole city can feel.
Help us keep Wichita growing.
Whether you want to volunteer, bring ICT Trees to your neighborhood, or help fund the next distribution, there's a place for you here.