Milwaukee to Use $12M Federal Grant to Plant More Trees Throughout City

The city of Milwaukee plans to use a $12 million federal grant to plant more trees in historically disadvantaged parts of the city.

The grant, received from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will go toward removing hazardous trees and asphalt and planting more trees in Wisconsin's largest city.

"With this new grant funding, we are taking the steps that we need to take to make sure that we are restoring our urban tree canopy and improving the residents' quality of life on an everyday basis," Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said during a press conference Monday.

The average tree canopy coverage is around 25 percent in the city of Milwaukee. But that figure is much smaller in lower-income areas, according to the city's Climate and Equity Plan, which was adopted earlier this year. The 53223 zip code, for example, has just 7 percent tree canopy coverage.

The conservation group American Forests identified Milwaukee as one of 20 cities that would benefit the most from increasing tree canopy. Planting more trees can help lead to cooler temperatures and fewer heat-related deaths, and can help mitigate the impacts of climate change, the group found. Some studies have also shown trees can foster a sense of community and improve mental health.

Trees in dense urban areas can also help cool down urban heat islands, as a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources campaign found heavily developed urban areas of Milwaukee stayed about 10 degrees warmer at night than other parts of the city during hot summer days. Areas that had fewer trees and green spaces and more asphalt and concrete were warmer at night, according to the heat mapping campaign.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said the money will help the city fight the impacts of climate change. In Milwaukee, the number of days with a heat index above 105 degrees will likely triple by 2050, according to Wisconsin’s Initiative on Climate Change Impacts.

"Unfortunately, it's folks who live in some of our more challenged neighborhoods that don't get the benefit of having an expanded tree canopy, so we'll be working to address that as well as growing jobs in the community," Johnson said.

Source: wpr.org

Photo Credit: istock-pyzata