Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, LA, in August 2005, wiping out 200,000 trees.
While the city has faced challenges in restoring its tree canopy, efforts were underway thanks to a $75 million grant from the U.S. Forest Service to the Arbor Day Foundation that aimed to plant trees in neighborhoods without the resources to afford them, according to The Associated Press.
However, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has, at least for now, terminated the funding to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order focused on banning diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts within the federal government.
“Protecting the people and communities we serve, as well as the infrastructure, businesses, and resources they depend on to grow and thrive, remains a top priority for the USDA and the Forest Service,” the USDA said, per AP.
Trees offer various benefits, including cleaning the air in polluted areas, capturing stormwater and replenishing groundwater, and providing shade that can cool the air and reduce heat stress on the human body, the outlet reported.
Research indicates that low-income neighborhoods and communities of color have fewer trees and experience higher temperatures compared to more affluent areas.
The Arbor Day Fund’s grant came from former President Joe Biden‘s signature climate initiative, the Inflation Reduction Act, which allocated $1.5 billion to the Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry program, according to AP.
In an email dated Feb. 14, 2025, the Forest Service said the grant “no longer effectuates agency priorities regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and activities.”
Dan Lambe, CEO of the Arbor Day Foundation, emphasized that these environmental projects’ benefits would have extended beyond assisting disadvantaged communities; they were intended to serve every community member in locations throughout the country.
According to the foundation, 105 nonprofits, municipalities, and Indigenous organizations spanning several states have lost funding for critical projects due to the cancelation.
Forester Trevor Peterson in Butte-Silver Bow, MT, planned to use a $745,250 grant to purchase chain saws, rigging gear, and other essential tools, per the outlet. He wanted to remove about 200 dead or dying cottonwood trees and plant up to 1,000 trees as part of a long-term effort to replace those cut down to make way for copper mining.
Wildfires in 2020 destroyed thousands of homes and scorched over 60,000 trees in Jackson County, OR. The county fought long and finally received a $600,000 grant from the Arbor Day Foundation to help severely affected low-income and disadvantaged mobile home park residents remove hazardous trees and plant new trees for shade and cooling. Now, the funds are no longer going to be provided.
In New Orleans, the environmental group Sustaining Our Urban Landscape (SOUL) received some of the funds and planted over 1,600 trees in the historically Black community of the Lower 9th Ward. The loss of the grant has halted plans for planting 900 new trees, and the group can no longer fund the care for existing trees or hire new staff members, per AP. The nonprofit’s future existence is also at risk without support.
“This was an opportunity to make a really meaningful impact on people’s lives, so it’s been disappointing,” Lambe said, speaking of the overall purpose of the Arbor Day Fund’s grant.
