The of City of Santa Ana’s Public Works Maintenance Services Division has recently been awarded a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Forest Service program through its Urban and Community Forestry Program. The Urban and Community Forestry Program provides funding to municipalities to plant and maintain trees, combat extreme heat and climate change, and improve access to nature in urban settings. It is the only program in the federal government dedicated to enhancing and expanding the nation’s urban forest resources. This is the largest single USDA Inflation Reduction Act investment to date in urban and community forests which makes the City of Santa Ana’s winning proposal one of the few selected, from over 800 nationwide applications.
The $1 million grant funding will be for a period of five years, ending in 2029, and will allow the City to:
- identify and remove hazardous trees that are in decline, diseased and/or reached life expectancy (up to 300 removals)
- purchase and plant trees at a 2 to 1 ratio (up to 600 plantings)
- survey new potential valid planting sites to further expand urban forest
Furthermore, the City was awarded the grant with zero matching funds from the City, meaning funds from existing budgets or programs will not be diverted for this new project. For compliance purposes, all work performed must occur within pre-determined U.S. Census tracts.