SPOKANE, Wash. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded $6 million to Spokane Urban Forestry and $6 million to the Spokane Conservation District to improve Spokane’s tree canopy.
These funds will be used to plant and care for trees in areas of Spokane with low canopy coverage and provide the community with forestry education.
“This incredible funding will allow trees to be planted and cared for in areas of greatest need – a first tier priority in our Parks Master Plan,” said Garrett Jones, interim city administrator. “It also helps fulfill the City’s Sustainability Action Plan, which identified a need to increase the urban tree canopy.”
These grants will be divided between two key projects:
City of Spokane Urban Forestry – Tree Equity Spokane”The Tree Equity Spokane project will increase tree canopy cover and provide urgent care for trees in disadvantaged communities in Spokane. This project is part of SpoCanopy, a joint venture with City of Spokane Urban Forestry and The Lands Council, and aims to assist Spokane in achieving 30% canopy cover by 2030.”Spokane Conservation District – Spokane County Natural Resource Apprenticeship Program “This project will improve urban tree canopy and expand forestry career opportunities through hands-on urban and community forestry education programs. Learning opportunities will include summer education programs for local high school students with classroom-based environmental education and restoration fieldwork. This work aims to improve climate resiliency and public health in Spokane County and create new career pathways in under-resourced communities.”
“We are really excited about the opportunity this opens up for our future stewards of the land,” said Garth Davis, Spokane Conservation District forestry manager. “It becomes a matter of bringing up a new generation of people who care for the land and teaching them the delicate balance of our natural resources and human interaction.”
Fore more information about both of these projects and conservation efforts, you can visit the Spokane Conservation District website and the U.S. Department of Agriculture fact sheet.
