White House Adviser Says City's Urban Tree Plans Are Critical
A top adviser to President Joe Biden says two grants totaling $1.1 million will help the city of Charlotte maintain its tree canopy in underserved areas.
Brenda Mallory, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, was in Charlotte Friday to promote the U.S. Department of Agriculture's $1 billion nationwide program to plant and maintain trees and fight urban heat and climate change.
"We know that the temperatures in communities where there are trees can be as much as 17 degrees cooler than communities that do not have trees. So it helps with the heat," Mallory said. "We know that it helps stabilize roots within a community so that the flooding is reduced. It helps with air pollution. So there are a whole range of issues that integrate around climate change that are benefited by this program."
The money comes from last year's climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act.
Charlotte plans to use it to prune, preserve, remove and replant trees in its six designated Corridors of Opportunity — historically low-income areas where investment has lagged.