LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- There's no better way to celebrate the changing leaves' color than Louisville Tree Week.

Tree Week 2024 goes from Oct. 12-20. Organizations around the city will host tree-centric events, which include volunteer opportunities like tree planting and maintenance projects. There will also be tree adoptions and plant sales.

More than 30 organizations are participating in over 60 events around the Louisville area. Here's a schedule of a few events.

  • Oct. 12: Tree adoption at Churchill Downs
  • Oct. 14: Free mulch pickup from Louisville Urban Forestry
  • Oct. 15: Schardein Cemetery volunteer cleanup
  • Oct. 17: Volunteer mulching at Central Park
  • Oct. 19: Volunteer tree planting at Frayser Elementary

To learn more about Tree Week, click here.

A recent University of Louisville research study reports trees have a positive affect on people's health. UofL's Green Heart Louisville Project found people living in neighborhoods where the number of trees and shrubs was more than doubled showed lower levels of a blood marker of inflammation than those living outside the planted areas. General inflammation is a risk indicator for heart disease and other chronic diseases. 

But Louisville is losing around 54,000 trees a year and facing a diminishing tree canopy. The average tree canopy in neighborhoods the nonprofit serves is 15-22%, well below the recommended 45% urban tree canopy. 

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