This Arbor Day, DEM and GIC Announce First Five Municipalities Selected for Comprehensive Technical Assistance Program for Rhode Island Urban and Community Forests

Published on Friday, April 26, 2024

PROVIDENCE, RI – The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) Division of Agriculture and Forest Environment (DAFE) and the Green Infrastructure Center (GIC) are pleased to announce that the first five municipalities have been selected for the Urban Forests for Rhode Island Technical Assistance Program. Many Rhode Island communities have limited resources and technical expertise to establish or expand their urban and community forestry programs. The program seeks to address these limitations through a comprehensive approach that includes services such as tree canopy mapping, planning, management, planting, code and ordinance review and development, policy development, and community engagement and education. The municipalities were selected based on a competitive application process approved by the USDA Forest Service that prioritizes resources for communities with higher environmental justice populations, particularly those lacking access to tree canopy cover. The following communities will receive technical support from GIC, and funds will be used to plant and maintain urban trees over the next five years: 

Cohort 1 - Beginning spring 2024.

• Pawtucket
• Central Falls

Cohort 2 - Beginning summer 2024.

• Warren
• Westerly
• Newport

Cohort 3 - Beginning winter 2025.

• TBD – Three communities are currently pending. 

GIC will partner with each municipality for two to three years and set them on a trajectory to develop and sustain a thriving equity-driven urban forestry program. This comprehensive program is funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) through the USDA Forest Service and Congressionally Directed Spending from 2023. DEM’s Division of Agriculture and Forest Environment (DAFE) received $1.2 million from IRA secured by U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, and an additional $300,000 from Congressionally Directed Spending to support a total of eight municipalities over the next five years. DEM and GIC received more applications than anticipated, indicating that Rhode Island’s towns and cities are eager to invest more heavily in their urban forestry programs. 

“As climate change impacts every state, including Rhode Island, it’s increasingly important to find innovative, environmentally-friendly ways to help keep neighborhoods healthier and cooler,” said Senator Reed, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee. “This federal funding will help a number of local municipalities plant more trees to improve air quality, create more green space, prevent erosion, and enhance public health.”  

“Rhode Island has long recognized the potential of climate-smart infrastructure in urban communities, and DEM’s and GIC’s new urban canopy program will help turn this potential into progress. I’m pleased to have helped secure federal funding to boost the state’s urban tree cover and make our cities healthier and more sustainable,” said Senator Whitehouse.

“Trees are critical urban infrastructure that are essential to public health and well-being,” said Governor Dan McKee. “Thanks to the Senators’ work in obtaining key Inflation Reduction Act funding, our Administration is prioritizing communities that most need improved access to the environmental, economic, social, and health benefits that healthy trees and forests provide.”

“DEM is thrilled to see Rhode Island’s cities and towns expressing their enthusiasm to build and strengthen their municipal urban forest programs,” said DEM Director Terry Gray. “DEM is working to identify additional funding sources to provide support to more communities through our partnership with GIC to continue advancing the goals of tree equity and environmental justice by empowering communities to manage and plan their urban forests for the greatest benefits for their residents. Adding tree cover to our urban environment improves air quality, provides shading and cooling, and can help control stormwater and flooding.”

“Nuisance flooding and stormwater management are top-of-mind for Rhode Islanders,” said GIC Executive Director Karen Firehock. "Adapting codes, ordinances, and municipality practices to use trees and other native vegetation for enhanced stormwater management will allow cities and urbanizing communities to treat stormwater more effectively”. 

Urban and community forests are often overlooked as part of urban infrastructure but are an essential part of the solution for climate adaptation and mitigation. Trees reduce urban heat, mitigate flooding, improve air quality, provide critical habitat for wild animals and so much more.  Rhode Island’s most vulnerable populations, including people of color and low-income households, are disproportionately impacted by climate change and yet these frontline communities also experience lower tree canopy cover than their whiter, wealthier counterparts. This program lays the foundation for understanding where and how to create a more equitable tree canopy. Most importantly, it also provides a platform for a community-led design and implementation process incorporating green infrastructure solutions that promote social resiliency and long-term stewardship. 

Founded in 2006, GIC is a nonprofit organization that assists communities in developing strategies for protecting and conserving their natural and cultural assets including tree cover, waterways, wetlands and bays, agricultural soils and parks and other open spaces to ensure community health and resilience through research, land-use planning, mapping and ecological restoration. For more information, visit www.gicinc.org. For more information about the technical assistance program, please contact Molly Henry at (401)-312-7857 or at mhenry@gicinc.org.

For more information on DEM programs and initiatives, visit www.dem.ri.gov. Follow DEM on Facebook, Twitter (@RhodeIslandDEM), or Instagram (@rhodeisland.dem) for timely updates.