Some trees line Leesburg Pike (Route 7) in Idylwood (Staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
To reduce heat islands in vulnerable communities, the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services has requested millions in grants to establish a street tree planting program.
According to county officials, the county will use its vulnerability index to identify communities in need of the program.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday (June 6) approved the department’s application to apply to the US Forest Service for a $11.5 million Urban and Community Forestry (UCF) Inflation Reduction Act grant.
“The grant period is five years from the award date, which is expected to be October 2023,” says the package for the board meeting.
Sharon North, spokeswoman for the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES), told FFXnow the department is proposing to plant 1,000 trees over a five-year period. Though the county is looking into at-risk communities, she said, “No decision on grantees will be made before October.”
The forest service announced the financing option back in April. The UCF program received $1.5 billion under the Inflation Reduction Act to support urban tree planting and forest planning and management in vulnerable communities.
“The Resilient Fairfax Plan finds that 91 percent of vulnerable households are in areas that have been identified as having a particularly high urban heat island effect, and that vulnerable populations are more likely to be affected by extreme heat,” the package reads.
Factors considered in the county’s Vulnerability Index include household income, education, English proficiency, health insurance, and the percentage of the population that owns a home or vehicle.
If the county receives the funding, the program will also encourage tree planting through partnerships with the Virginia Department of Transportation, Fairfax County Park Authority, Fairfax County Public Schools and non-profit organizations.
The district also determines certain activities that are to be promoted:
- Identification of areas in the county prone to heat, low tree canopy and/or areas where green infrastructure would provide additional community benefits and resilience
- Planting and nurturing of up to 5,000 native and/or climate-resilient street trees over a five-year period in neighborhoods, within rights-of-way and on public land
- Educate and engage the public about the benefits of green space and trees
- Expanding a green workforce to care for existing and new street trees.
The county began a pilot program in 2021 that will provide free trees to residents of areas with minimal canopy cover. The program was initially focused on the Richmond Highway corridor but was expected to shift to Bailey’s Crossroads this year.
www.ffxnow.com
https://www.ffxnow.com/2023/06/09/county-seeks-grant-funds-to-establish-tree-planting-program-for-vulnerable-communities/
