San Francisco has been awarded $12 million in federal grant funding to plant and maintain trees.
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Mayor London L. Breed and interim Public Works Director Carla Short announced that San Francisco has been awarded $12 million in federal grant funding to plant and maintain trees, combat extreme heat and climate change, create green jobs and improve access to nature in the City – representing the largest single award among California recipients to grow urban tree canopies under President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act.  
The funding, provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, is part of more than $1 billion in competitive grants awarded to expand urban tree canopies across the nation, particularly in low-income communities that bear the brunt of pollution from industry and vehicle emissions and have the smallest number of trees. 
“This funding will help us strengthen our urban canopy, particularly in neighborhoods like the Bayview-Hunters Point, the Tenderloin and South of Market, which lack the benefits that street trees can bring,†said Mayor Breed.
“I want to thank President Biden and our federal partners for investing in a greener future. Soon, the Public Works Bureau of Urban Forestry will plant and work together with neighbors and nonprofit partners to advance the health of our communities for generations to come.â€â€¯
Communities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and several U.S. Territories and Tribal Nations are receiving funding, covered by the Justice40 Initiative and made possible by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, passed last year. 
The benefits of street trees in an urban environment are well documented – not only do they make neighborhoods more inviting, but they manage stormwater, reduce air pollution, improve human health, cool homes and streets, provide wildlife habitat and calm traffic.
San Francisco Public Works submitted its grant application, titled “Justice, Jobs and Trees: A San Francisco Climate Solution,†in June.
The project will create approximately 100 new green jobs and workforce development positions by hiring and training residents from the City’s underserved communities to advance long-term employment, racial equity and social justice. 
The grant announcement comes as Public Works is readying to open its new Street Tree Nursery located in the South of Market neighborhood on underutilized Caltrans land near Fifth and Bryant streets.
Set to open this fall, the nursery will serve as a hub for the planting initiatives and workforce training that the federal funding will support.  
San Francisco lags behind many large U.S. cities with one of the smallest urban tree canopies, with just 13.7% of the ground when viewed from above sheltered by the leaves and branches of trees.
The national average is 27.1%.
San Francisco’s tree canopy is also inequitably distributed among the City’s neighborhoods, with underserved census tracts having only about half the canopy at 8%, when compared with the 15% canopy coverage in other census tracts. 
Studies show that trees in communities are associated with improved physical and mental health, lower average temperatures during extreme heat, increased food security and create new economic opportunities, the Forest Service noted.
This historic funding will help the Forest Service support projects that increase tree cover in disadvantaged communities, provide equitable access to the benefits of nature and deliver tangible economic and ecological benefits to urban and Tribal communities across the country. ■