The city of Pittsburgh and a coalition of local nonprofits received a combined $9 million in federal grants to support forestry efforts.
The U. S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service awarded a $1 million grant to Pittsburgh’s vacant lots tree planting project.
The $1 million granted to the city of Pittsburgh will support a vacant lots tree planting initiative that focuses on underserved communities. The program identifies and removes hazardous trees and replaces them with new trees in an effort to create and revitalize natural areas in city neighborhoods.
Another $8 million went to the Pittsburgh Canopy Alliance, a working group of more than 20 nonprofit organizations and government agencies throughout Allegheny Country.
The alliance includes partners who work to increase equitable access to urban tree canopies and increase community involvement in such efforts. It includes Tree Pittsburgh, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, Landforce, Allegheny Land Trust, Allegheny County Conservation District, Goatscape, UrbanKind Institute and Friends of the Riverfront.
The federal grant funding will help the group increase tree canopy, support a more resilient urban forest, and plant and maintain trees in parks and public greenspaces, as well as in along streets and on residential and institutional properties.
“These federally funded grants will make maintaining and creating green spaces for Pittsburgh residents easier,” Mayor Ed Gainey said in a statement. “Due to climate change, we all can appreciate the shade of a healthy tree and the cool breezes they generate.”
