In a bid to combat extreme heat, enhance health benefits, and improve access to nature, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is set to distribute over $1 billion in federal funds to hundreds of communities across the nation.
The funds will be used to support tree planting and maintenance initiatives, with a focus on marginalized areas in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and some tribal nations.
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack is slated to announce the $1.13 billion funding for 385 projects on Thursday in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. "We believe we can create more resilient communities in terms of the impacts of climate," Vilsack stated. "We think we can mitigate extreme heat incidents and events in many of the cities."
The eastern Iowa city of Cedar Rapids, which lost thousands of trees to an extreme windstorm in the summer of 2020, will be highlighted during the announcement. The city, home to 135,000 residents, has prioritized the restoration of its tree canopy since the storm, known as a derecho. Cedar Rapids is set to receive $6 million in funding through the new grants.
The grant recipients range from some of the nation's largest cities, including New York, Houston, and Los Angeles, to smaller communities like Tarpon Springs, Florida, and Hutchinson, Kansas.
Brenda Mallory, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, is expected to join Vilsack at the Iowa event. She emphasized that many communities have been deprived of access to nature, and the tree grants would benefit marginalized and underrepresented communities. "Everyone should have access to nature," Mallory asserted. "Urban forests can really play a key role in ensuring both that access but also increasing the climate resilience of communities, helping reduce extreme heat and making communities more livable."
The federal funds for this initiative are sourced from the Inflation Reduction Act.
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