Mayor GT Bynum Sees Tulsa's Trees Standing the Test of Time.

And what conservation achievement in the history of Tulsa does he credit as the greatest? Former City Commissioner Sid Patterson and the founding of Up With Trees.

In a world where so much is disposable, City of Tulsa Mayor GT Bynum sees something in our community that stands the test of time, our trees. Bynum believes we’re a city that for generations has valued cultivation of the natural environment that other cities just haven’t. And what conservation achievement in the history of Tulsa does he credit as the greatest? Former City Commissioner Sid Patterson and the founding of Up With Trees.Not only does Bynum enjoy trees from a longevity aspect, but from a health and wellness perspective as well.

“When we talk about greenery, yeah there are all the benefits to air quality and soil conservation and things like that, but it’s not just a personal preference, green actually has been scientifically proven to cause a relaxation reaction in people’s brains,” said Bynum.

It takes the edge off stress that people in cities so often encounter through a hectic day. It makes the day better. As a dad, he really thinks about the relation trees have for his own kids. Trees are a magnet for all sorts of wildlife that his kids love to watch and it draws them out of screen time and into the outdoors.

When it comes to trees, there are few things that we can do today that have such long term benefits as growing the urban forest we have here in Tulsa. Bynum believes in making an investment today that really helps pay off decades from now and even centuries into the future, like the thousands of trees Up With Trees has already planted.