Federal funding restored to Spokane’s tree equity program

There is apparently at least one diversity, equity and inclusion program the federal government is willing to fund: tree equity.

The tap has been turned back on for a $6 million, five-year grant to fund Spokane’s tree equity program, which primarily subsidizes the planting and maintenance of trees in economically disadvantaged areas of the city. That funding, provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act, was paused at the start of the year pending further direction from the White House.

While city officials worried the funding may have been permanently cut off amid the Trump administration’s moves against diversity, equity and inclusion programs, the city received little direction on the reasons for the pause or how long it might last.

It also reportedly wasn’t the federal government that initially told the city the funding was back on. Months after the cutoff, hearing rumors that other governments were starting to be reimbursed for the work they had done under similar grants, the city began to slowly send in its own reimbursement requests, Spokane Parks Director Garrett Jones said. When the U.S. Forest Service confirmed that funding would continue to flow, the city fully ramped up its planting and maintenance programs, but remains cautious in case funding is again cut off.

“We’re still monitoring it month to month to make sure we’re still getting the full reimbursement,” Jones said.

The grant funding is a major boon for the city’s tree planting program, which typically has an annual budget of around $200,000.

Spokane’s trees provide nearly $6 million in annual economic benefits, not just from boosting the aesthetics of the surrounding area, but also from storm water interception and air quality and energy improvements, according to a 2021 study by the city, in partnership with the Spokane Lands Council and Gonzaga University.

A more recent study by Gonzaga found that areas with significant tree canopy coverage can be dramatically cooler on hot summer days, which reduces energy usage from cooling systems and prolongs the life of pavement.

But those benefits aren’t distributed evenly in the city, with some neighborhoods having dramatically larger coverage from tree canopy than others, ranging from 44% of the surface area in the Grandview/Thorpe Neighborhood to 8% of the city’s downtown.

To ensure every neighborhood benefits, the city’s Urban Forestry division aims to consistently cover 30% of the city’s surface area with tree canopy by 2030. The city’s SpoCanopy program, in partnership with The Lands Council, disperses throughout the city every spring and fall to plant trees in front of private properties for free, efforts that will be turbocharged with restored federal funding.

The city had started to spend down the grant funds when the pause was announced at the start of the year. About $257,000 had been spent by February to plant 168 trees and identify 400 dead or dying trees that required removal and replacement.

While those costs have been reimbursed, the city initially responded to the pause by dipping deeper into existing budgets, continuing to plant throughout the spring season, according to Katie Kosanke, the city’s urban forester.

Now that funding has been restored, the city can return to subsidizing expensive pruning and dead tree removal efforts for residents, along with offering free trees to those who can take care of them.

Residents interested in taking part can apply at the Lands Council website, landscouncil.org.