Press Release
Wednesday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service is awarding more than $1 billion in competitive grants to 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. Communities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and several U.S. Territories and Tribal Nations are receiving funding, covered by the Justice40 Initiative and made possible by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act – the largest climate investment in history.
Wyoming will receive three quarters of a million dollars in a state allocation from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and funding opportunity grants of $800,000 according to the USDA, also from the IRA.
Trees make a difference. Studies show that communities with access to trees and green spaces are associated with improved health outcomes, reduced crime, lower average temperatures, and an influx of other kinds of investments and new economic opportunities. Through funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, the Forest Service is making historic investments in boosting the nation’s tree cover in urban, suburban and rural communities nationwide. The agency has selected 385 grant proposals from entities that are working to increase equitable access to trees and green spaces, and the many benefits they provide. 100% of funding will flow to disadvantages communities, and funded proposals are located in all 50 states, two U.S. territories, three U.S. affiliated Pacific islands, and in several tribal communities.
