Rochester gets $3 million to plant more trees; Schumer cites D&C reporting

Rochester will receive $3 million from federal stimulus funds for its urban forestry program, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer announced Thursday, a major down payment on Mayor Malik Evans' ambitious multi-year tree-planting initiative.

The grant from the U.S. Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry program is close to the $3.5 million the city requested. Schumer came to Rochester in May to plant a tulip tree and pledge his support for Rochester's application.

He cited the Democrat and Chronicle's reporting on the canopy cover disparity in Rochester, in particular along racial and socioeconomic lines, as well as the effects on air temperature and health.

The federal grant program, he wrote to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, "was envisioned to benefit communities exactly like Rochester where trees plantings can bring generational change across a tree's many-decades life to help reverse economic and environmental injustice."

Evans has promised to plant 6,000 trees over the next three years, with most of them going to poor and relatively tree-barren neighborhoods, especially in the northeast. The city planted more than 1,000 trees this spring and another 1,000 will be planted this fall.

The city this fall and winter will also embark on a community outreach campaign regarding the tree planting, a step that has been missing from the initial push.

Evans in May said the city would commit about $1.5 million toward the total expected cost of $5 million. With the $3 million federal grant, a small projected gap of about $500,000 remains.

"We know that trees add value to a home, a neighborhood, and, most critically, our community’s health and well-being," Evans said in a statement. "The trees we plant will be equitably placed across the city, ensuring that everyone will benefit from all that trees offer for generations to come."

Justin Murphy is a veteran reporter at the Democrat and Chronicle and author of "Your Children Are Very Greatly in Danger: School Segregation in Rochester, New York." Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/CitizenMurphy or contact him at jmurphy7@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Rochester NY to get $3 million to plant more trees