Ahead of Climate Week, Governor Hochul Announces Additional $5.4 Million in Urban and Community Forestry Grant Awards to 17 Projects Across the State

 

Inflation Reduction Act-Funded Projects Plant Trees and Increase Community Forest Resiliency in Disadvantaged Communities

Planting Projects Will Contribute to Governor’s ‘25 Million Trees by 2033’ Goal

Governor Kathy Hochul announced an additional $5.4 million in grant awards for Urban and Community Forestry Grants funded through the Federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The funding expands on $7.1 million awarded on July 25, increasing expected project outcomes and reach, and bringing the total amount awarded to $12.5 million. The awards support Governor Hochul’s 2024 State of the State initiative to plant 25 million trees by 2033, recent commitments through the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act, and other New York State investments to expand tree canopy and cultivate greener, healthier communities.

“Investing in community green space is a significant step towards revitalizing our cities and towns, and ensuring a sustainable, resilient future for all New Yorkers,” Governor Hochul said. “These investments will help to provide cleaner air and water to every corner of our state, and move us closer to achieving our climate goals.”

Funded projects represent a collaborative effort between local governments, not-for-profit organizations, and community groups to create more equitable and resilient urban forests in the face of increased storms and extreme heat driven by climate change. Projects are focused in disadvantaged communities and include initiatives to engage with the public in tree planting and stewardship efforts, and increase tree canopy in public open space and along roadways. The efforts align with Governor Hochul’s broader conservation and environmental agenda, including enhancing existing open spaces and land preservation goals, supporting the state’s ambitious climate goals, and advancing environmental justice statewide.

The grants are administered through the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) Urban and Community Forestry program, which works to increase public awareness of the importance of trees and helps communities create healthy forests while enriching quality of life for residents.

Funding for this grant is made available through the state allocation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service through the IRA. The USDA Forest Service is allocating this funding to support projects in disadvantaged communities to increase and maintain a healthy urban canopy and equitable access to trees and the benefits they provide. The Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry program authorizes funding for a broad range of activities, such as urban wood utilization, urban food forests, extreme heat mitigation and workforce development.

New York State is celebrating the 16th annual Climate Week from September 22-29, 2024. The projects included in this announcement support New York’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, make communities more resilient, drive action to tackle climate change and advance environmental justice, ensure affordability as part of the clean energy transition, and create new jobs and opportunities for future generations.

The 17 awarded projects receiving additional funding are listed below by region:

Capital Region

Albany County

• City of Albany Department of General Services: $456,705 additional, for a total of $876,965; Community Forest Management Plan Implementation

Greene County

• Village of Athens: $237,335 additional, for a total of $577,968; Community Forest Management Plan Implementation

Rensselaer County

• City of Troy: $64,800 additional, for a total of $382,400; Community Forest Management Plan Implementation

Central New York

Onondaga County

• City of Syracuse: $414,858 additional, for a total of $910,141; Community Forest Management Plan Implementation

Finger Lakes

Genesee County

• City of Batavia: $306,218 additional, for a total of $758,950; Ash Tree Management in Disadvantaged Communities

Monroe County

• City of Rochester: $399,250 additional, for a total of $598,875; Community Forest Management Plan Implementation

Mid-Hudson Valley

Ulster County

• City of Kingston: $240,824 additional, for a total of $732,375; Community Forest Management Plan Implementation

Westchester

• City of New Rochelle: $6,600 additional, for a total of $41,600; Ash Tree Management in Disadvantaged Communities

New York City

The Bronx

• Woodlawn Conservancy Inc.: $727,962 additional, for a total of $1,201,354; Community Forest Management Plan Implementation
• Natural Areas Conservancy Inc.: $467,510 additional, for a total of $862,168; Ash Tree Management in Disadvantaged Communities

Brooklyn

• Big Initiatives Incorporated: $843,709 additional, for a total of $1,251,166; Community Forest Management Plan Implementation – Stewardship of Street Trees
• The Evergreens Cemetery Preservation Foundation: $415,000 additional, for a total of $915,000; Community Forest Management Plan Implementation

Manhattan

• The Green-Wood Cemetery: $100,000 additional, for a total of $598,035; Community Forest Management Plan Implementation
• Randall’s Island Park Alliance Inc.: $353,520 additional, for a total of $851,262; Community Forest Management Plan Implementation

North Country

Clinton County

• Clinton County Soil and Water Conservation District: $231,325 additional, for a total of $460,947; Ash Tree Management in Disadvantaged Communities

Jefferson County

• City of Watertown: $150,000 additional, for a total of $550,000; Community Forest Management Plan Implementation

Western New York

Chautauqua County

• City of Dunkirk: $35,867 additional, for a total of $158,313; Community Forest Management Plan Implementation

To further progress New York’s climate goals, Governor Hochul’s 2024 State of the State address established a goal of planting 25 million trees statewide by 2033 — a $47 million effort supported by the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act and the FY25 Enacted Budget. The goal will invigorate the state’s tree planting efforts through multi-year annual grants to municipalities to plant trees in support of resilient reforestation and urban forests, modernize DEC’s Colonel William F. Fox Memorial Saratoga Tree Nursery and engage the next generation of environmental stewards.