Feds reject Worcester's request for money to plant trees

WORCESTER — The U.S. Forest Service has rejected Worcester’s request for $23.5 million to plant thousands of trees in the city to help mitigate extreme heat and combat the impacts of climate change.

A big chunk of the money would have been spent in heat island areas of the city, where residents suffer disproportionate impacts from climate change.

A total of nine Massachusetts cities received funds including Boston ($11 million) and Springfield ($6 million). Southbridge, with 17,000 residents – a fraction of Worcester's 200,000-plus population – got $1 million.

“It’s certainly disappointing,” said John Odell, Worcester’s chief sustainability officer, of the news that the city didn’t get a penny.

A request for comment from the U.S. Forest Service was not immediately returned.

“Disappointing” was also Alexander Elton’s reaction. Elton sits on the Worcester Urban Forestry Tree Commission, its members appointed by the city manager to advise the city on its tree planting efforts.

“Our need is not any less significant,” said Elton. “It’s a similar situation to what Boston and Springfield are dealing with. They got $11 million and $6 million. We get nothing is concerning.”

Other Massachusetts cities that received a share of the $1.5 billion in the Inflation Reduction Act to boost tree cover in urban, suburban and rural communities include Fall River, Haverhill, Holyoke ($1 million each), Quincy ($750,000), Lynn ($550,000) and Watertown ($100,000).

A total of 385 grants were awarded over a wide geographic swath that included all 50 states, two U.S. territories, three U.S.-affiliated Pacific islands and several tribal communities. In total, the Forest Service received 842 applications requesting a total of $6.4 billion.

Worcester hopes to speak with U.S. officials to understand why it didn’t get the $23.5 million, said Odell, and will learn from the experience. Odell remains optimistic there will be other funding sources for tree planting.

“We’re not deterred. I think this is a bump in the road and not a disaster by any question,” he said.

7,000 trees could have come to Worcester: Now what?

The $23.5 million would have paid for 7,000 trees including 3,000 in public areas, mostly along streets, with some planted in parks and conservation areas, according to an earlier explanation by Odell. Another 4,000 were slated for private residential and commercial properties, with the owner’s permission. Monies would have also helped property owners maintain the health of existing trees.

Rob Antonelli, the city's tree warden, said Worcester's timeline for planting the 7,000 trees is extended without the $23.5 million, adding the city's normal planting of 300 trees annually in the spring will continue.

Rejection of Worcester’s request also comes after a consultant hired by the city recommended that Worcester plant 34,000 trees. They would mature over 20 years, giving the city 50% tree cover to help mitigate extreme heat.

Also, a draft of the city’s Urban Forestry Master Plan identified more than 8,000 spots in Worcester to plant trees. Antonelli previously said a more realistic number is half that number when all factors are taken into account including underground infrastructure that could obstruct planting. A final version of the master plan should be finished in the coming weeks, said Antonelli.

Odell’s department at City Hall, the Department of Sustainability and Resilience, recommends the city plant up to 40,000 trees by 2050.  However, Odell noted that context is important when looking at Worcester’s inability to get the $23.5 million.

Even if Worcester got all the money, Odell said, it was only for five years and there was never any expectation to plant tens of thousands of trees over that time. Finding and planting that many trees in five years would be a challenge, he said. Plus, planting must be phased in over many years to increase the chances that trees will grow healthy and reach maturity.

Miyawaki forests coming to Worcester

Meanwhile, a $400,000 state grant will pay for the design and planting of two Miyawaki forests in Worcester this fiscal year, which runs through June 30, 2024.

These aren't wide areas full of trees and walking paths. Instead, they're small plots intended to beautify areas and fight climate change by sucking in carbon that warms the planet.

The name comes from the late Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, who developed a method of planting species in neglected urban plots. Worcester's two forests will be on city-owned land, their locations not yet determined, said Odell. When potential sites are identified, community input will be sought to make sure residents support the locations.

Worcester applied for enough money to pay for a total of seven forests over two years, but the state returned a slightly smaller award. The $400,000 will also fund the planning of two community spaces. Odell explained they could be Miyawaki forests or small spaces next to the forests that include benches to relax and cool off on a hot day.

An advantage of these tiny forests is they require little, if any, maintenance. The goal is to put them in environmental justice communities, areas designated by the state that generally have a preponderance of low-income residents of color with varying levels of English-speaking proficiency.

More than 90% of Worcester is identified as an environmental justice community and the forest will help combat the heat-island effect that tends to plague these communities. They have a preponderance of heat-trapping concrete and few trees to bring down sweltering temperatures.

Cambridge was first

Miyawaki forests will be new to Worcester, but they’re not a ground-breaking concept. They’ve been around for a few years, with Cambridge planting the first one in North America in September. That one is a 4,000-square-foot forest at Danehy Park, done in cooperation with the SUGi Project, which has planted more than 160 pocket forests worldwide, covering a total of roughly 35 acres.

The plant survival rate across all Miyawaki forests is 88.5%, according to SUGi, because native plants are selected that align with local environmental conditions and weather patterns.

Evelyn Herwitz, vice chair of the Green Worcester Advisory Committee and the catalyst for spearheading the effort to bring Miyawaki forests to Worcester, feels planting them will help accelerate the city’s efforts to plant more trees, especially in heat island areas.

"I’m thrilled. We didn’t get everything we wanted (from the state grant), but what we got is a good start," she said.

Contact Henry Schwan at henry.schwan@telegram.com. Follow him on X: @henrytelegram.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: U.S. Forest Service says no to Worcester tree planting request