Over $17 million in federal funds will be used by Phoenix to plant trees in poor neighborhoods this fiscal year.
That total is more than double what the city had budgeted for its “tree equity program” – thanks to a U.S. Forestry Service award of $10 million.
“This significant award is more than just money for tree planting – it’s an acceleration toward a cleaner, cooler, more equitable Phoenix,” Mayor Kate Gallego said in an announcement Sept. 14 on social media.
The city had set aside $7.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds for its “residential tree equity accelerator” program – nearly doubling the $4 million in federal funds it had set aside the previous fiscal year for “urban forestry.”
The city Office of Heat Response and Mitigation also has earmarked another $6 million for shade structures and school tree planting.
“Expanding our shade canopy has long been one of my priorities, and as we work overtime to combat the impacts of climate change and make our city more resilient to extreme heat, this funding has the potential to multiply our impact,” the mayor said in her statement on X.
Although someone on her social media announcement cynically posted “How ya gonna water em?” Gallego said:
“I am excited for Phoenix families to reap the benefits of additional shade, lower energy bills, the creation of green jobs and cleaner air.”
In a news release, Lora Martens, the city’s Urban Tree Program manager and a professor in landscape architecture at Arizona State University, said:
“Everyone deserves to have adequate tree coverage and receiving this funding allows us to expand our current tree planting efforts in the hottest parts of Phoenix. Planting more trees allows us to mitigate heat, conserve energy and provide more shade for our residents.”
The program is aimed at “heat-vulnerable areas,” but Phoenix villages like as Ahwatukee and Desert View likely won’t see so much as a sapling from that money.
Instead, the new dollars – which will go towards “tree planting and maintenance, workforce development, community restoration and resilience as well as mitigating extreme heat” – will benefit federally “qualified census tracts” that meet low-income criteria.
“Improving tree equity in Phoenix will mean providing more assistance to neighborhood associations and community members who live in areas of more need,” the city notes on its website. “The goal is to have a city which all people have equal access to the benefits of trees.”
That effort has won plaudits from. American Forest, a nonprofit founded in 1875 that boasts of “our deep knowledge of forests and track record of collaboration (that) position us to build a reforestation movement in America.”
American Forest also kicked in $500,000 for Phoenix’s tree planting, praising it as a “flagship for the nascent Tree Equity movement that is bringing tree cover to underserved neighborhoods across the country.”
“This is a city that is doing everything right to increase tree planting and care in neighborhoods most acutely lacking tree canopy,” it said, noting that Phoenix is the first city in the nation to set tree equity as a goal by 2030.
“A sense of urgency is helping Phoenix overcome its unique challenges in equitably expanding tree canopy,” American Forest explains on its website.
“It is one of the most heat-vulnerable cities in the world, a reality that climate change is accelerating rapidly. …Phoenix also faces problems with air quality and storm water runoff that trees can help address.”
“And while it rains infrequently there, when it rains, it pours. More trees in areas with low tree cover can help intercept these rains and control flooding,” the nonprofit adds.
A 2014 report prepared by Davey Resource Group for the city translated all that into dollars.
It said trees “intercepted” 1,770 tons of air pollution that equaled $5.8 million, store 305,000 tons of carbon valued at $21.7 million and “sequestered” 35,400 of carbon worth another $2.5 million.
“Carbon storage and carbon sequestration values are based on a current market value of $71.21 per ton,” the report said, adding:
“Avoided carbon emissions are valued at $2.96 million annually. The tree population reduces storm water runoff by 91.7 million cubic feet per year, valued at $6.1 million. Annually, this resource produces about 89,200 tons of oxygen.
“The largest monetary value related to the urban forest is the structural values of the trees, which are based on the replacement value of the tree at its present size and condition. These equate to $3.82 billion.”
Davey Resource Group is a subsidiary of the Davey Tree, a century-old landscaping, consulting and tree services with annual sales of over $1.1 billion. Its stated purpose is to work “with municipalities, businesses, and a variety of organizations to manage and protect the vital ecosystems known as urban forests that help filter water and air, control storm water, conserve energy and provide animal habitats.”
The city’s Tree and Shade Master Plan puts Davey Resource Group’s assessment of the monetary benefits of trees more simply: “Trees have a documented return on investment (ROI) in Arizona of $2.23 for every $1 invested.”
The master plan also lays out the vision for 2030, stating:
“By 2030, the view from the northern ridgelines of South Mountain to the desert washes of the Sonoran Preserve reveals the urban forest as a healthy, diverse and cohesive ecosystem. Saguaros cover the hillsides, shade trees define streets, and residential neighborhoods are tree groves that are cool and comfortable.
“The urban forest lowers the temperature during the summer months, and characterizes the city as a connected oasis that radiates out from Downtown.”
In a budget report this year, City Manager Jeff Barton said the city Parks and Recreation Department did its part toward achieving that goal by planting 1,500 trees throughout the city in 2022, although the cost was not mentioned.
In announcing the $10 million U.S. Forestry Service grant – a pittance for a federal agency with a $5.4 billion budget – Gallego also encouraged schools, nonprofits that work with youth and community groups in the qualified census tracts to apply for one of two tree equity programs.
The Canopy for Kids program “is intended to improve tree canopy coverage at public schools and properties managed by” nonprofits that provide services to children and teens.
“Exposure to trees is shown to increase problem solving skills, enhance cognitive abilities, improve academic performance, reduce Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) symptoms, improve social relations, reduces stress, and improve self-discipline,” the grant program states.
Intended partly to “advance justice, equity and fairness of the local urban forest,” the kids program currently has a $2 million pot from which grants ranging between $10,000 and $75,000 will be awarded to cover trees, tools and landscape services.
Grant applicants must agree to follow the “right tree, right place” practice of locating trees in places that will provide maximum shade.
The program guideline’s also say the ideal per-tree cost would be $800-$1,500 and purchased from local nurseries. And preferably grantees would avail themselves of the help provided by groups like the Arizona Sustainability Project and Keep Phoenix Beautiful.
The deadline for the second round of funding is Oct. 17 and more information is at phoenix-gov.formstack.com/forms/canopy_for_kids_grant_application.
The Community Canopy program aims to help census tracts determined by the federal government to have been “disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 public health emergency and its negative economic impacts.”
On the economic side, the city notes, trees can “reduce utility costs within neighborhoods and generate wealth by providing career opportunities for a variety of tree related specialties.”
Community Canopy Grants can cover as many as 30 trees for a neighborhood but they can also be obtained by individuals who want to plant to more than two trees on their property.
The program does not provide cash but rather funds trees, supplies and “support.”
The city will supply 15- or 25-gallon trees as well as two lodgepoles and arbor ties if staking is required.
It also will provide “a supply bag of materials to support the establishment and survival of each tree.”
That bag, valued at $150, will include “a moisture meter and battery to determine the moisture of the soil near the tree, a hose, an irrigation timer, a watering calendar and educational materials to provide knowledge and understanding of proper maintenance practices.”
And, the city notes, “each household planting a tree will get two T-shirts custom designed for this grant by a local artist.”
For information: phoenix-gov.formstack.com/forms/community_canopy_grant_application.
www.ahwatukee.com
https://www.ahwatukee.com/news/article_94870fec-56a1-11ee-94bd-b7c9091437a6.html
