$75M Grant for Tree Planting Amid DEI Controversy

Living nearly thirty years in New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward, Arthur Johnson has come to value the trees that help mitigate pollution from nearby Mississippi River traffic and offer respite from the heat. When Hurricane Katrina devastated the city two decades ago, it not only displaced countless residents but also destroyed an estimated 200,000 trees, leaving a gap in the region’s green canopy that urban planners have been striving to replenish ever since.

However, these efforts have suffered a major setback when the U.S. Forest Service decided to cancel a significant $75 million grant previously awarded to the Arbor Day Foundation. This grant was aimed at supporting tree-planting initiatives in communities lacking financial resources, including Johnson’s neighborhood. This decision aligns with the administration’s opposition to environmental justice programs.

In New Orleans, a portion of this funding was allocated to Sustaining Our Urban Landscape (SOUL), an organization that had successfully planted over 1,600 trees in this traditionally Black community. They were preparing to plant 900 more trees but have now put these plans on hold due to the funding cut. Johnson, who directs a local nonprofit, highlighted the necessity of such trees for low-income residents, noting that the lack of trees impacts the area’s sustainability.

Trees offer broad benefits: they capture stormwater, replenish groundwater, purify polluted air, and reduce heat in cities, all of which are crucial as climate change intensifies heat waves. Research indicates that areas with scarce tree cover, often impoverished and predominantly inhabited by people of color, face more extreme temperatures.

The Arbor Day grant was supported by former President Joe Biden’s climate-focused Inflation Reduction Act, which allotted $1.5 billion for urban forestry initiatives. Despite the Forest Service’s emphasis on aligning the grant with new diversity and inclusion priorities, Dan Lambe of the Arbor Day Foundation argued that the funded projects were intended to serve entire communities, not just marginalized sections.

Overall, 105 organizations spanning the nation have lost vital funding for their environmental initiatives due to this policy shift. This loss is significant for organizations like SOUL, which is uncertain about its future without federal support, leaving plans for hiring and maintenance in jeopardy as budgets falter.

Other communities have faced similarly dire outcomes. In Butte-Silver Bow, Montana, plans to rejuvenate an urban forest decimated by mining were disrupted, and the loss of nearly $745,250 in grant funding halted local educational events and essential tree planting efforts. In Jackson County, Oregon, where wildfires had obliterated tree cover in 2020, a $600,000 grant was set to restore the landscape and assist vulnerable residents. Now, the community struggles to tackle environmental challenges exacerbated by extreme weather.

These funding cancellations have imposed significant barriers on organizations like Oregon Urban Rural and Community Forestry, representing a critical gap in the assistance needed for ecological recovery and climate resilience in affected areas.