$75M granted for urgent tree planting in anti-DEI push

TL/DR –

The U.S. Forest Service ended a $75 million grant for the Arbor Day Foundation, which was helping to plant trees in low-income areas, as part of the Trump administration’s opposition to environmental justice initiatives. The decision affects efforts to restore tree canopies in New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward, which were mostly destroyed by Hurricane Katrina two decades ago. The cessation of the grant has particularly impacted environmental group Sustaining Our Urban Landscape (SOUL) – it has been forced to pause plans to plant 900 trees in the neighborhood and now lacks the funds to water trees already planted.

Tree Restoration Efforts in New Orleans Impacted by Funding Cuts

Arthur Johnson, a resident of New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward for nearly three decades, appreciates the trees that provide natural air filtration and shade in his neighborhood. However, Hurricane Katrina demolished 200,000 trees across the city, including many in his neighborhood, creating an ongoing struggle to restore the city’s tree canopy.

In a setback for these efforts, the U.S. Forest Service terminated a $75 million grant to the Arbor Day Foundation in mid-February. This grant was supporting tree planting initiatives in neighborhoods that could not afford them. The decision is part of the Trump administration’s roll back of environmental justice initiatives.

Sustaining Our Urban Landscape (SOUL), an environmental group in New Orleans, was receiving part of the grant. The organization has planted over 1,600 trees in the historically Black community and planned to plant another 900. According to Johnson, who runs a local nonprofit, these trees are essential for low-income residents who couldn’t afford to plant or maintain them.

Beyond their aesthetic appeal, trees capture stormwater, replenish groundwater, clean air in polluted areas, improve mental health, and cool air and surfaces, especially during heat waves. The lack of trees in low-income communities results in higher temperatures compared to wealthier neighborhoods.

The Arbor Day Foundation’s grant was part of a $1.5 billion allocation to the Urban and Community Forestry program under former President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. However, the Forest Service cited a shift in priorities towards diversity, equity, and inclusion programs as the reason for canceling the grant.

Dan Lambe, the Arbor Day Foundation’s CEO, highlighted that the termination of the grant does not only affect disadvantaged communities but the broader community as well. A total of 105 nonprofits, municipalities, and Indigenous organizations have lost funding for vital environmental projects.

SOUL’s loss of the grant means they lack the funds to water trees already planted, and they’ve had to cancel plans to hire three people. Another $2.5 million grant is on hold due to the federal funding freeze, putting the survival of nonprofits like SOUL into question.

Other recipients of Arbor Day Foundation money, such as the city-county of Butte-Silver Bow in southwest Montana, had planned to use the funding for essential equipment, removal of dead trees, and replanting efforts. Similarly, Jackson County, Oregon, had been awarded a $600,000 grant to replant trees destroyed in the 2020 wildfires. The termination of these grants now places a significant burden on these organizations.

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