TRWD
If you’ve ever biked, jogged, or walked along the Trinity River trails in Fort Worth, you know the sun can be relentless. But this fall, thanks to a push from us — the community — and the Tarrant Regional Water District's response, shade is on the horizon — literally.
Beginning on Texas Arbor Day, November 7, the district will kick off a tree-planting initiative along the Trinity River’s popular recreational trails, according to the TRWD’s website. More than 20 trees will go in at the Fourth Street Trailhead along the lower west fork of the river, with another 25-plus trees finding homes at Clearfork’s River Park Trailhead a week later, on November 14.
“People told us what they wanted from the recreation system — and overwhelmingly, it was shade,” said Paris Sanchez, TRWD’s landscape architect manager. “This plan is our way of translating that feedback into something everyone can enjoy for years to come.”
Shade is just one branch of TRWD’s larger vision. The district manages four lakes, three parks, and more than 100 miles of trails threading through 31 neighborhoods and 21 city parks. These trails provide residents access to some of Fort Worth’s best recreational destinations — from the revamped Twin Points Park, offering a boat ramp and swim beach at Eagle Mountain Lake, to Eagle Mountain Park’s hiking trails, Marine Creek Lake Trails, and the waterfalls at Airfield Falls.
This planting initiative is part of TRWD’s Recreation Master Plan, approved earlier this year after two years of collaboration with the community. Sanchez emphasizes that the work is meant to be ongoing — trees will continue to be planted each year, improving shade and enjoyment along the trail network bit by bit.
Native and Texas-adapted trees like red oak, live oak, bur oak, chinquapin oak, lacey oak, cedar, lacebark elm, bald cypress, and Chinese pistache will be planted, ranging from 12 to 25 feet tall to give them a strong start. Spaced about 50 feet apart, the trees will provide both immediate beauty and long-term shade, with irrigation provided for the first two years to ensure they thrive.
Volunteers are encouraged to join the fun. The November 7 event at Fourth Street will include hands-on demonstrations for planting and staking a tree, plus an interactive experience on water conservation. Supplies will be provided, and community members can simply come out to help or watch the transformation take shape.
Furthermore, TRWD’s commitment to Fort Worth’s waterways extends beyond trees. In 2025 alone, volunteers helped remove more than 41,000 pounds of trash across lakes and river locations — from 9,000 pounds in the spring along the Trinity River to 12,300 pounds at Lake Bridgeport, with smaller but no less important hauls at Marine Creek, Eagle Mountain, and Cedar Creek Lakes. Even with a weather-cancelled cleanup at Richland-Chambers Reservoir, volunteers’ efforts make a visible impact on the cleanliness and safety of local waterways.
For those looking to make an even bigger difference, TRWD’s Trash Bash Challenge, powered by the Rubbish app, allows residents to track litter data, understand recurring problems, and help prevent pollution at its source. So far, nearly 70,000 pieces of litter have been documented — and counting.
Whether it’s removing thousands of pieces of litter or planting new trees along the trails, TRWD is taking community feedback and turning it into tangible improvements that residents can see and enjoy.
“From the citizens who told us what they wanted to see, we’re giving them something tangible,” Sanchez said. “We want the community to be happy with what we create and excited to spend time outdoors.”
