USDA grants $1 billion across the country to plant trees in hopes of reducing extreme heat
Fox News
Hundreds of projects across the U.S. will share $1.13 billion in federal funding to help cities plant trees, mitigate extreme heat incidents, and improve access to nature.
"We believe we can create more resilient communities in terms of the impacts of climate," Vilsack told reporters in previewing his announcement. "We think we can mitigate extreme heat incidents and events in many of the cities."
In announcing the grants in Cedar Rapids, Vilsack will spotlight the eastern Iowa city of 135,000 people that lost thousands of trees during an extreme windstorm during the summer of 2020. Cedar Rapids has made the restoration of its tree canopy a priority since that storm, called a derecho, and will receive $6 million in funding through the new grants.