BrightView Partners with H-E-B to Plant Trees Throughout Texas

With more buildings being constructed in cities, the urban canopy is rapidly decreasing. To help combat this, and reduce what is called the heat-island effect, Texas supermarket chain H-E-B launched Trees for Texans.

As a client of BrightView, H-E-B reached out to the team to help with the year-long program which aims to plant hundreds of native trees at select urban school campuses in the state, along with additional nonprofit grant recipients.

Justin Jordan, BrightView Tree Care Services Branch Manager, and Shane Rasco, Key Account Manager, consulted with H-E-B for the project, and coordinated his branch’s efforts at the Forbes Middle School project in Georgetown, Texas. BrightView’s Austin Branch, led by Bill Davis, was also involved by organizing the delivering the trees to the location.

“My team arranged the unloading of 18 trees, ranging from 20- to 45-gallon containers, and then we helped plan the placements of those trees and pre-dig the holes before the volunteer event,” he said. “We also volunteered to be onsite during the event to help answer any questions and educate the volunteers on proper tree planting techniques."

The native trees planted at the school included Mexican white oaks, cedar elms, Mexican sycamores, evergreen sumacs, and Montezuma cypresses.

The event, celebrated on Texas’ Arbor Day on Nov. 3, had a few dozen volunteers in attendance, including some familiar faces of the school.

“There was a large group of middle school students that came out, and if even one of those students goes home and talks about this with their families, or even goes and plants a tree at home, then this event couldn’t be more of a success,” Jordan said.

As the nation’s largest commercial landscaping company, BrightView has embraced its role as good stewards of the planet and has prioritized its Environmental, Social, and Governance commitment.

BrightView has also been involved with additional environmental projects, such as replanting trees lost to Hurricane Ian in Florida.

Five more planting projects through Trees for Texans are planned from now through December, including a school in Houston and one in Austin.

“It was nice to see the turnout for the actual planting event and see the excitement to plant trees,” Jordan said. “It will be fulfilling to drive by this site in the future knowing that we planted these trees and have helped to make a difference in our communities.”