Trees, trees, and more trees! Canal elementary schools see installation of native trees. Planning Fellow leads tree planting projects for Canal Elementary Schools.
On Saturday, August 22, 2026, Planning Fellow Daisy Alvarez hosted a tree planting event at Bahia Vista Elementary School. Parents, staff, community partners, and Councilmember Maika Llorens Gulati came together to plant native, broad-canopy trees that will increase shade in student zones—the outdoor areas where children spend time on campus—and help protect students on hot summer days.
Currently, K-12 public schoolyards across America see an average of 6% canopy coverage. In schools where the majority of students receive free or reduced lunches, that number can be even lower. Urban forestry experts recommend that canopy coverage should be 30%, matching the shade spread recommended for neighborhoods.
Across the San Rafael City School District, the average canopy spread on student zones is 8%, higher than the national and state average. However, on campuses such as Bahia Vista Elementary School and San Pedro Elementary, where the majority of students come from the Canal neighborhood, the number is lower at 3% (Bahia Vista) and 7% (San Pedro).
So, we decided to do something about it.
Although a seemingly simple and small idea, in a community that is historically overlooked and disproportionately impacted by environmental injustices such as sea-level rise and poor air quality, planting trees goes a long way. In addition to providing much needed shade, native trees help improve air quality, promote ecological diversity, and boost community morale.
Still, the journey from ideation to implementation proved to be more complicated than expected. From raising funds to navigating setbacks due to ongoing campus renovations, there were times where it was unsure whether or not the project would see fruition.
But after six months of persistence, the project came to life.
Daisy connected with local organizations—including ReLeaf Petaluma, Sanzuma, Sustainable San Rafael, Raices del Canal, and Refugia Marin—coordinated site visits and planning adjustments with Dave Pedroli, Director of Facilities and Maintenance at San Rafael City Schools District, presented the project to the San Rafael Harbor Rotary Club, and worked with the facilities crew to coordinate logistics and ensure the project’s success.
As a result, months of research and relationship building culminated in the planting of 10 native shade trees—Coast Live Oaks and Western Sycamores—on the grounds of under-canopied elementary schools.
The trees were placed based on available space and where students would benefit most from additional shade.
At San Pedro, the campus has more hardscape and fewer opportunities to plant trees near areas where children play. For this reason, two trees were planted in the open patch between the newly turfed field and the school garden to provide shade for students using the field. Another tree was planted in the far southwest corner of the campus to cover a series of outdoor benches where students sit during lessons.
At Bahia Vista, there were more opportunities to use open patches of dirt for planting. Five trees were planted directly west of the newly installed turf field, where they will provide shade for nearby benches, the playground, and the main blacktop area students cross to access the field. The final two trees were planted near the south playground: one on the north end to shade part of the field, and one on the south end to provide relief for children playing on the basketball court.
Throughout the five-month journey, the process was both educational and fulfilling. Daisy learned the power of relationship building, how people can unite around a shared cause to create change, and how far one person’s tenacity can go, even in the face of challenges.
That being said, this project would not have been possible if not for the support and generous donations of a few key organizations and individuals.
The project would not have been possible without generous support from Devil Mountain Nursery in Petaluma, whose staff—Jose Flores, Roman O’Connor, and Haley Patocchi—donated and delivered ten 15-gallon trees, as well as Sloat Garden Center in Kentfield, which donated ten bags of Organic Planting Soil Mix.
San Rafael City Schools District’s Facilities, Maintenance, and Operations staff also played a key role, supporting planning, coordination, hole-digging, and day-of implementation to ensure the trees made it from the nursery to the school grounds.
Partner organizations and community members also helped bring the project to life, including representatives from the City of San Rafael, ReLeaf Petaluma, Sanzuma, Raices del Canal, Sustainable San Rafael, the San Rafael Federation of Neighborhoods, the San Rafael Harbor Rotary Club, and Refugia Marin.
Finally, the PACE team at Canal Alliance and the 20 volunteers who participated—including local families, Canal Alliance staff, Rotary Club members, Councilmember Maika Llorens Gulati, and Facilities team members Miguel and Nelson—helped make the event a success.
Once fully matured, shade coverage from the tree planting project and summer construction will increase shade at Bahia Vista’s student zones from 3% to 10%, tripling what the original canopy was. Although still a way away of the recommended 30%, Bahia Vista is now well on its way to meeting this goal and comparatively, will rank higher than surrounding schools.
