CONTACT: CAL FIRE PIO (916) 651-3473 Calfire.dutypio@fire.ca.gov

RELEASE DATE: September 20, 2024

Projects will improve the environment in urban areas and bolsters pathways to environmental careers in disadvantaged and low-income communities

(Sacramento) The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) Urban and Community Forestry Program (UCF) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service today announced the awarding of nearly $31 million in grant funds to 22 projects through the 2024 Inflation Reduction Act.

These projects are intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve the functionality of urban forests, arrest the decline of urban forest resources, address climate change resilience, improve the quality of the environment in urban areas, and increase access to environmental career pathways. All projects will directly serve priority populations within one or more defined disadvantaged and/or low-income communities in an urban area.

CAL FIRE State Urban Forester, Walter Passmore remarked, “CAL FIRE is pleased to partner with the USDA Forest Service to enhance State investments already made to improve the urban environment.” With federal investments, we are reaching additional communities that have historically been overlooked.”

Inflation Reduction Act projects are designed to support Urban and Community Forestry investments that foster:

• Increased and equitable access to urban tree canopy and associated human health, environmental, and economic benefits in disadvantaged communities,
• Broadened community engagement in local urban forest planning, tree planting, and management activities, and
• Improved community and urban forest resilience to climate change, extreme heat, forest pests and diseases, and storm events through best management and maintenance practices.

This funding, under President Biden's Justice40 Initiative and Executive Order 13985marks a significant step in enhancing urban forestry efforts in historically disadvantaged urban communities.

Miranda Hutten, Urban and Community Forestry Program Manager at the USDA Forest Service highlights the significance and timeliness of the Inflation Reduction Act grants, saying, "this historic investment grows our tree canopy and builds climate resilience in California communities that need it the most." 

Inflation Reduction Act projects span six grant types, including Urban Forest Expansion and Improvement, Urban Forest Management Activities, Urban Forestry Education and Workforce Development, Urban Forestry Regional or Statewide Impact, Urban Forest Equity Capacity Building, and Green Schoolyards.

You can find more about CAL FIRE and the Urban and Community Forestry Department and view the list of awarded projects here.

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