New trees are expected to begin sprouting all over the U.S. soon thanks to $1 billion in grant funding awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service.
According to a Thursday announcement from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, 385 grant proposals were awarded from all 50 states and the District of Columbia as well as several U.S. Territories and Tribal Nations. These “competitive grants,” are intended to help “plant and maintain trees, combat extreme heat and climate change, and improve access to nature in cities, towns, and suburbs where more than 84% of Americans live, work, and play,” said the announcement.
Funds were provided as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. Overall, the department received 842 applications requesting a total of $6.4 billion in funding.
Through the projects that received grant funding, the department also hopes to foster equitable access to trees and nature in the nation. Trees are also expected to help cool city streets, improve air quality, promote food security and support public health and safety.
Per the announcement, studies have shown that trees can even improve mental and physical health in communities where they are planted. Earlier this year, Audacy reported on the efforts of our own team in Tennessee to bring new life to an area devastated by tornadoes through planting trees. Last year, Amazon also announced an initiative to help start planting more trees and mitigate some of its own contribution to climate change.
“These investments arrive as cities across the country experience record-breaking heatwaves that have grave impacts on public health, energy consumption, and overall well-being,” said Vilsack of the recent round of funding awards. “Thanks to President [Joe] Biden’s Investing in America agenda, we are supporting communities in becoming more resilient to climate change and combatting extreme heat with the cooling effects of increased urban tree canopy, while also supporting employment opportunities and professional training that will strengthen local economies.”
Brenda Mallory, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, said Biden’s goal is to reduce the number of people who do not have access to trees in the U.S. by the end of the decade. This recent round of funding is also part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Justice40 Initiative to help disadvantaged communities.
Grantees even used a special tool to help identify disadvantaged communities where funds could be invested.
“This announcement is part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda to advance environmental justice, generate economic opportunity, and build a clean energy economy nationwide,” said the announcement. “The grants are made possible by investments from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the largest climate investment in history and a core pillar of Bidenomics.”