Feds give South Bend money to jumpstart pursuit of 40% urban tree canopy by 2050

SOUTH BEND — South Bend has received about $1.9 million to begin pursuing its goal to plant nearly 100,000 new trees across the city by 2050.

The grant money, which comes from an urban forestry program run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will go toward planting new trees on underused land to bring the city toward its 2050 goal of 40% coverage by tree canopy.

Starting from an average canopy of 26% in 2019, according to city data, that 40% goal will require nearly 95,000 new trees and between 30,000 and 60,000 trees to replace dying ones. A city's tree canopy is the percentage of the ground sheltered by leaves and branches when viewed from above.

There are more than 176,000 trees in South Bend now, city data shows. A 40% average canopy would entail more than 270,000 total trees.

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A major batch of new trees could be planted as soon as spring 2024.

The city has its eye on vacant lots, storm-water retention basins and public schools as sites where 9,000 more trees could have roots in the ground over the next three to five years. Pitching in to help with planning are South Bend schools officials, Indiana University South Bend and the Shirley Heinze Land Trust, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving natural areas in northwest Indiana.

A lack of trees negatively affects a city in obvious ways, such as intensifying the heat on summer days and depriving local wildlife of a habitat. Unshaded areas reach higher temperatures because concrete and asphalt stay hot after hours baking in sunlight. Trees cool neighborhoods and dampen city noise.

In its plan for an urban forest, the city maps out how swaths of land on the west side become warmest on hot days.

Planners draw a connection to redlining, a racist lending practice outlawed in 1968 that denied loans to buyers in poorer neighborhoods. Historically redlined neighborhoods have an average tree canopy of 17%, city data shows.

The city also mentions indirect benefits of a broader tree canopy, citing a broad review of environmental studies that found that urban forests are connected to better public health. Robust tree coverage means more chances for recreation and exercise. People exposed to forest settings were found to be less anxious, less depressed and less fatigued.

The city of South Bend will match donations up to $50,000 to its urban tree canopy initiative.

The USDA awarded more than $1 billion across the nation to bolster access to trees and nature in urban areas, according to a press release. The agency is particularly focused on helping distressed neighborhoods with sparse canopies.

Email South Bend Tribune city reporter Jordan Smith at JTsmith@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jordantsmith09

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: South Bend aims to plant 95,000 more trees by 2050