Lancaster celebrates $1 million federal grant for street tree program

Federal funding makes a big difference to municipalities’ ability to combat climate change at the local level, Mayor Danene Sorace said.

Much of the work simply couldn’t be done othewise, she said.

The mayor was speaking at a news conference last week at Culliton Park, held to highlight a $1 million grant for Lancaster’s street tree program.

The money will allow Lancaster to take on more responsibility for planting and caring for street trees, which currently are largely the responsibility of individual property owners. The details are outlined in “Trees for People” (PDF) the city’s “action plan” for its urban forest.

City Hall is hoping to improve tree health and increase Lancaster’s amount of tree canopy. The opportunity “is just incredible,” Sorace said.

The work complements other city environmental initiatives, she said, such as its green infrastructure — rain gardens and related facilities — which is capturing 65 million gallons of stormwater a year.

Street trees provide shade, soak up carbon dioxide and are associated with improved community health, wellbeing and resilience.

“Investing in climate is investing in Black and Brown communities and investing in our most vulnerable neighbors,” said state Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El, D-Lancaster.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s administrator is eager to partner with local municipalities, said Adam Ortiz, EPA administrator for the mid-Atlantic region.

“We have your back,” he said.

Lancaster’s $1 million grant is one of 385 nationwide, totaling $1 billion, that were disbursed to cities, towns and suburbs to promote urban tree planting. The funding comes from the Inflation Reduction Act and was announced last fall.

Communities had to apply for the grants, which were competitive. In Pennsylvania, 12 grants were awarded in 10 communities, totaling just under $8 million, as follows: