Living Roadways

Actively caring for public trees and investing in green infrastructure

Baton Rouge Green’s signature project began in 1991 as an effort to improve the green infrastructure along major corridors and interstates in the Baton Rouge area. The original 6 sites were installed with a combination of federal, state and private dollars. To date, the program has grown to include over 4,000 trees across 25 sites.

Sponsor a Site

“This organization has made remarkable progress over the years to bring a bit of nature into the urban environment... Today we are enjoying the fruits of their accomplishments. Thanks to everyone who support Baton Rouge Green and special accolades for this visionary work.”
Dr. Neil Odenwald, Professor Emeritus of Landscape Architecture, LSU

Caring & Maintaining

Baton Rouge Green cares for and maintains these trees constantly, which can involve pruning, fertilization, weed control, insect control and incident management. We do this through a cooperative agreement with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development and in collaboration with the East Baton Rouge Parish Department of Public Works.

Benefits to Human Health

Health benefits have also been documented, especially with regard to improved air quality and people with pulmonary issues. Several scholarly studies also suggest that enhanced vegetation alongside roadways correlates to lower stress and frustration in drivers, and reduced crash rates. Not to mention, the trees are beautiful!

Made Possible by our Community

This vital work is entirely supported by sponsorships from private citizens, and local businesses and industry. In this way, the Living Roadways program represents the best of our community: a partnership between non-profit, private and public entities for the ultimate betterment of the entire Baton Rouge community and its citizenry.

A 2024 iTree study (a peer-reviewed platform developed by the U.S. Forest Service) of our Living Roadways sites suggests that EACH YEAR these 4,000+ trees grant us:

Gallons of stormwater runoff prevented annually

Tons of pollution removed from air annually

Tons of carbon sequestered annually