South Bend secures $1.87 million grant for tree planting initiative

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The city of South Bend is aiming to plant 100,000 trees by 2050, roughly one tree per resident, in an effort to combat urban heat island effects and improve environmental sustainability.

During a Coffee and Donuts with the Forest Service event, the city introduced plans to plant approximately 5,000 trees per year. The initiative has received a significant boost with a $1.87 million grant from the U.S. Forest Service.

The grant is part of a larger $30 million allocation for urban forestry projects in the state of Indiana, which was made possible by an increased program budget of $1.5 billion for the Forest Service.

South Bend was eligible for the grant due to its commitment to serving under-resourced communities and has a five-year period to utilize the funds.

Currently, the average tree canopy coverage in South Bend is around 26 percent, but in redlined neighborhoods, this drops to approximately 17 percent. The city aims to increase the overall urban tree canopy coverage to 40 percent.

"Our neighborhoods without trees and with the most concrete and asphalt are going to get the hottest, especially in a changing climate, and trees are the best way to solve for that problem," said Department of Sustainability Project Manager, Barbara Dale, "The west side and the south side have the least amount of tree canopy. This is the area that is post-industrial."

The grant funds will be used to support tree nurseries, tree plantings at South Bend schools, environmental education programs, and workforce development initiatives related to urban forestry.