Inflation Reduction Act Investments in Urban Forestry Will Save Lives
Lawmakers Weigh In
Washington, DC, Aug. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, President Biden signed the most comprehensive climate legislation ever passed by Congress, funding equitable city tree cover to help cool urban heat islands and save lives, energy and money in communities nationwide. By allocating $1.5 billion for the U.S. Forest Serviceās Urban and Community Forestry Program, this monumental bill, now the law of the land, will help bring cooling and pollution-fighting urban tree cover to all corners of the country, maximizing the multifold benefits of trees in combating climate change.
āExtreme heat is a life or death issue in our cities, thanks to climate change,ā said Jad Daley, American Forests president and chief executive officer. āThis legislation gets the forestry details right and will have lasting impacts as it helps cities protect their residents from extreme heat.ā
Through American Forestsā Tree Equity Score, our scientists and policy experts have found a map of trees in our communities is also a map of income and race, leaving millions of U.S. residents at risk from extreme heat and other climate effects. The U.S. Forest Service works to address that disparity, already reaching over 7,500 communities each year through the Urban and Community Forestry program.
With the Inflation Reduction Actās influx of needed funding for the program, as well as investments to assist with administration, the agency will be able to dramatically expand its impact, reaching more communities and providing greatly expanded grants and technical assistance for on-the-ground implementation.
āThe Inflation Reduction Act will reconnect neighborhoods and invest in urban greening through tree planting and other efforts,ā said Representative A. Donald McEachin. āIn every neighborhood, in every city, we will all benefit from making improvements that combat climate change and make our communities healthier, greener and more resilient. The Inflation Reduction Act will help accomplish just that and will have a substantial impact on peopleās lives with every dollar, every job and every tree.ā
This legislation maximizes the power of trees to cool our most vulnerable communities, which often suffer the most as climate change magnifies the severity and frequency of extreme heat.
āPlanting trees improves air quality, reduces temperatures on hot days, and creates healthier neighborhoods,ā said Senator Cory Booker. āThe urban and community forestry investments in the Inflation Reduction Act will empower communities, helping to get more people outside and under the life-saving shade of trees, all while storing more carbon, creating and supporting more jobs, and reducing energy consumption and costs for Americans.ā
The legislationās investments in the U.S. Forest Serviceās Urban and Community Forestry Program will scale up work going on on-the-ground across the country, getting funding directly to communities and local nonprofits. By expanding urban tree canopy, the investments in the Inflation Reduction Act will advance equity in our neighborhoods while creating jobs and bolstering local economies across the nation.
āAmerican Forests is not an organization that just cares about trees; weāre an organization that cares about how trees can serve people and about the impacts that those trees make,ā said Daley. āThis legislation, decades in the making, puts people first, creating healthier communities, jumpstarting careers and saving lives.ā
The Inflation Reduction Act invests in forests as climate solutions comprehensively, not only by expanding the U.S. Forest Serviceās Urban and Community Forestry Program, but by increasing wildfire risk reduction activities, creating incentives for historically disadvantaged private forestland owners who employ forest-climate solutions on their landscapes, and more. With robust forest-climate investments across both public and private lands, this legislation uses a whole-of-government approach to permanently transform Americaās forests and communities for the better.
āForests by themselves cannot solve climate change ā to be most effective, they require us actively maintaining, monitoring and managing the health of the trees and the communities they impact,ā said Daley. āThe Inflation Reduction Act delivers for Americans on both urban and rural landscapes, employing people and trees in the fight against climate change and contributing to healthier forests for us all.ā
#
ABOUT AMERICAN FORESTS: American Forests is the first national nonprofit conservation organization created in the U.S. Since its founding in 1875, the organization has been the pathfinders for the forest conservation movement. Its mission is to create healthy and resilient forests, from cities to wilderness, that deliver essential benefits for climate, people, water and wildlife. The organization advances its mission through forestry, innovation, place-based partnerships to plant and restore forests, and movement building.
CONTACT: Sara Kangas American Forests 202-519-2255 skangas@americanforests.org