Garden State Times

NJDEP Commissioner LaTourette Joined Commissioners to Announce $8.7 million in Urban and Community Forestry Grants

Apr 26 2024

To celebrate Arbor Day, the Board of Commissioners joined Mayor Victor Carstarphen, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette, and the New Jersey Forest Service on Friday to announce the allocation of $8.7 million of Leafing Out grants to 10 New Jersey municipalities, including Camden City. The funds will be used to support urban and community forestry management and training programs for municipal employees in overburdened communities.

Each municipality was awarded $850,000, with specific allocations set for various activities. Camden County Commissioner Jeffrey Nash expressed the importance of this initiative, stating, "Too many times, urban communities are left without any sort of tree coverage, creating extreme heat and in turn, negatively impacting the lives of residents." Nash added, "With this grant, we can correct this long-standing problem and provide some relief to those who call Camden City their home."

The funding for these grants is sourced from the federal Inflation Reduction Act through the USDA Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry Program. The grants will support the development of tree inventories, community forest management plans, urban forestry training, tree maintenance, hazard tree removals, and tree plantings.