​Charlotte's tree canopy is one of the city's most valuable assets, providing shade, cleaner air, stormwater management, wildlife habitat, and healthier neighborhoods.

​This interactive virtual workshop brings together local leaders, practitioners, and residents working to protect and expand that canopy. Panelists will share what they've learned from community engagement efforts, how resident feedback has shaped real programs and decisions, and the tradeoffs of balancing growth, infrastructure, and tree preservation. Attendees will also have space to share their own experiences and questions, turning the session into a working conversation about what it takes to build a healthy, equitable tree canopy for communities across North Carolina.

​Speakers

​Ryan A. Mathes is an ISA Certified Arborist and the Municipal Arborist planting specialist for the City of Charlotte’s Landscape Management Department. In this role, he collaborates within the City Arborist Group to guide the Street Tree Planting Program, lead education and outreach initiatives, support the small tree pruning crew, and advance Charlotte’s expanding green infrastructure.

​Tara Moore is Tree Canopy Programs Manager for the City of Charlotte, where she leads the city's work to protect and expand its urban tree canopy. She serves as one of the city's liaisons to TreesCharlotte, the nonprofit that partners with the city to plant and care for trees, supporting Charlotte's goal of reaching 50% canopy coverage by 2050.

​Kennedy Williams is Environmental Justice Manager at CleanAIRE NC, where she works with communities across North Carolina to address air quality concerns and advance equitable environmental solutions. She previously served as the organization's Community Engagement Coordinator, leading air quality outreach across Mecklenburg County in partnership with the City of Charlotte, Sol Nation, the Historic West End Green District, and Charlotte Mecklenburg Climate Leaders. She holds a B.A. in environmental studies from Howard University and interned with the White House Council on Environmental Quality. She is deeply committed to advancing environmental justice, particularly for low-income and BIPOC communities disproportionately affected by climate change. Kennedy strives to expand her activism, using her voice to address systemic inequalities and promote environmental equity.

​Moderator

​Dr. Robyn Byers is Assistant Director of the City of Charlotte's Office of Sustainability and Resilience, where she helps lead the city's Strategic Energy Action Plan Plus (SEAP+), adopted by City Council in May 2025. Her work includes Charlotte's first climate risk assessment, which identified extreme heat as the city's top climate threat, and the heat-mitigation efforts that followed — community heat mapping with the Charlotte Heat Mappers, reflective "road sunscreen" pavement treatments, and a research partnership with Duke University to inventory the city's climate actions.

​​About NC Climate Week

​This event is part of NC Climate Week 2026, a statewide series of workshops, community events, and conversations designed to accelerate North Carolina forward from climate concern to climate action.

​Hosted by EarthShare North Carolina, the week brings together the people, businesses, and organizations shaping our environmental future. Free virtual Climate Action Workshops and partner-led events offer practical tools and opportunities to learn, connect, volunteer, and take action.

​​Join Us at the NC Climate Week Summit

​NC Climate Week culminates with the NC Climate Week Summit on Friday, October 2, 2026, in Durham.

​This one-day, in-person event features interactive sessions, cross-sector conversations, and leaders from Trane Technologies, NASCAR, ICF, NC Department of Environmental Quality, Clean Energy Fund of the Carolinas, MountainTrue, Xylem, NC Sustainable Energy Association, UNC Humanities, NC Wildlife Federation, NC Coastal Federation, NC League of Conservation Voters Foundation, and more.

​Explore the full program and register at ncclimateweek.org/summit.

​Let’s meet the moment, together. 🌎

​​Sponsor

​The Climate Action Workshops at NC Climate Week are supported by Xylem.