By: Lida Aljabar, Senior Director of the Catalyst Initiative, American Forests  

As global temperatures rise, extreme heat is a defining climate justice issue. Each year becomes the hottest year on record, with July 2024 being the hottest July ever recorded in a 14-month streak of unprecedented global heat¹. These impacts are felt most harshly in our cities, where heat is highest and the disparities are stark: lower-income areas typically have 26% less tree cover and experience temperatures nearly 6°F higher than wealthier neighborhoods. Communities of color face even greater disparities, with 38% less tree cover and temperatures about 13°F higher than predominantly white areas, according to American Forests’ Tree Equity Score.  

Addressing extreme heat and social inequity with trees

Urban forestry, through its essential benefits, offers a way forward: trees deliver crucial shade and enhance air quality, helping cities better handle extreme heat. As an urban planner, I’ve seen first-hand how investing in urban forests addresses these environmental challenges, but also generates jobs, stimulates economic growth, and improves overall community well-being. That’s why over the past five years, American Forests has mobilized a nationwide movement of frontline advocates and national partners to address inequities in tree cover in cities by income and race, and its life-or-death implications.  

American Forests helped to unlock the historic $1.5 billion for urban and community forestry in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA), and my team at American Forests is putting these dollars into action as a national pass-through funding partner of the USDA Forest Service through our Tree Equity Catalyst Initiative. The Catalyst Initiative aims to specifically resource frontline, environmental justice, and under-served populations with both funding and technical knowledge to help them advocate for, plant and steward trees where they are most needed.  

Funding to power local Tree Equity movements

Through our Catalyst Fund, we have already invested over $25 million in grants to 36 municipalities and community-based organizations that are taking on extreme heat and other climate issues through transformative urban forestry initiatives. For example, Catalyst Fund grantee City of Goshen, IN, is launching a groundbreaking county-wide arboricultural training program aimed at youth to boost the number of professionals supporting regional urban tree canopy initiatives. This project will bring the long-term cooling benefit of trees to neighborhoods that need it most, while creating jobs and economic opportunity. 

In our upcoming round of funding in the fall of 2024, we’re investing over $12 million in grants to faith-based and environmental justice organizations across the country. These local leaders are already taking on climate justice as community anchors, whether that is through responding to local disasters, building affordable housing, or resisting polluting neighbors, and they are poised to grow their leadership in Tree Equity. 

To learn more about our work and stay updated on upcoming funding opportunities and resources related to Tree Equity, join the Catalyst Initiative contact list.