Three Key Facts:
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- Allentown received a $980,000 grant from Joe Biden’s clean energy plan to expand tree coverage and green spaces in underserved neighborhoods.
- Increased tree planting will lower city temperatures, reduce flooding risks, and improve public health.
- Funds will also be used to train workers in urban forestry.
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Allentown, Pennsylvania has been awarded $980,000 through the USDA’s Urban and Community Forestry Grant Program to ensure all neighborhoods have a healthy tree canopy and green space.
The funding, which comes from Joe Biden’s clean energy plan, will allow Allentown to plant more trees in neighborhoods that have fewer green spaces, enhancing shade, cooling urban heat islands, and reducing stormwater runoff. The initiative is supported by American Forests, the oldest conservation organization in the United States, and is part of the group’s nationwide effort to “tackle tree equity.”
On a recent community walk, Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk highlighted the project’s importance: “These should be shady streets—there’s nothing about this neighborhood that says we shouldn’t have trees.” His vision underscores the city’s commitment to ensuring that all residents, regardless of income or neighborhood, enjoy the benefits of a healthy tree canopy.
Tree equity is about more than planting trees—it’s about community health, climate resilience, and environmental justice. Increased tree coverage will help mitigate air pollution, reduce flooding risks, and enhance public health. The USDA Forest Service emphasizes the program’s role in building workforce opportunities, particularly in urban forestry.
Anita Forrester, a professor at Northampton Community College and leader of Climate Reality Project Lehigh Valley, doubled-down on the initiatives environmental and community impact:.”The reason why trees are important is that they have, of course, a health impact, a cooling impact, and a social impact on the community. If you have trees, you create a community. People go outside, sit under the trees, and have a conversation.”
This project also contributes to President Biden’s larger goals to reduce climate pollution and expand urban tree canopies nationwide. These efforts aim to bring nature back to more communities while creating green jobs and reducing the effects of climate change.
