Manchester residents, environmental justice advocates, and planners from across New Hampshire gathered this weekend to discuss how to make the neighborhood between Beech and Maple streets safer.

But in Manchester, tree cover varies significantly across neighborhoods. New Hampshire's largest city is partnering with environmental groups to plant 500 trees over the next several years.

The Nature Conservancy of NH is also partnering with the city of Manchester on this project. Trees can help the city manage extreme heat — trees provide shade that helps neighborhoods stay cool.