At United Properties, we’re about more than just bricks and mortar; we strive to create deep roots within the communities we call home. Whether we are revitalizing a historic neighborhood, transforming a site or renovating a building, or collaborating with community partners, we consistently strive to make a positive impact in all that we do.

Yard sign stating benefits of trees with a list of sponsors

Leaving Lasting Legacies through Tree Planting

Last month, United Properties partnered with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and Tree Trust to plant more than 80 trees in two neighborhoods in St. Paul, one at the Duluth and Case Recreation Center and the other at Johnson Parkway.

Due to the pandemic, members from TNC and Tree Trust physically planted the trees, while United Properties funded the project, and the Forestry Unit of St. Paul’s Parks and Recreation Department supported the event as well. The trees (19 different species) were chosen for their ability to endure climate change, provide wildlife habitat, and benefit people. Some of the benefits of trees include alleviating heat, storing carbon to help offset carbon emissions, improving air and water quality, and reducing the risk of flooding. Lasting legacies, indeed!

Members from Tree Trust and The Nature Conservancy planting trees

The Nature Conservancy, one of United Properties’ key community-relations partners, has been developing a science-based mapping tool to identify sites within the Twin Cities metro area most in need of tree-planting. As part of our planning process, we worked with TNC to select our planting site from options identified by the mapping tool. Read more about The Nature Conservancy’s approach using the mapping tool in a recent story in the Star Tribune.

A Community UPLift

Planting trees is just one way United Properties works to leave lasting legacies in our communities. Even amid a pandemic, we strive to make a difference where we can. The tree planting was part of our recent launch of UPLift, a platform for sharing our charitable giving and corporate social responsibility initiatives that “plant the seeds of positive change” in this case, literally!

View of newly planted trees at Johnson Parkway in St. Paul

Be sure to keep up with our UPLift progress by following us on our social media channels, where we share photos and blogs detailing our community relations work. You can also follow The Nature Conservancy on Twitter and Facebook and Tree Trust on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to stay updated on the important work they’re doing here in the Twin Cities.