Urban Forests
The Forest Service is allocating $250 million to state and territory forestry agencies that are working in disadvantaged communities to increase and maintain a healthy urban canopy and access to nature.
We’re rethinking the value of what many consider to be urban wood “waste” and the role that urban wood can play in achieving a city's economic, social, and environmental sustainability goals.
The National Ten-Year Urban Forestry Action Plan expands awareness of the benefits of our urban forests to communities and increases investments in urban forest resources.
Urban & Community Forestry Inflation Reduction Act Grants
News and Announcements
The Forest Service has recently announced the selection of projects for the 2023 Urban and Community Forestry Grants.
- 2023 Grant Awards and Press Kit
- USDA invests $1 billion for nearly 400 projects to expand access to trees and green spaces in communities and neighborhoods nationwide through Investing in America agenda
About the 2023 Urban and Community Forestry Grants
Under the Inflation Reduction Act, the Forest Service received a historic $1.5 billion to its Urban and Community Forestry program to support tree-planting, urban forest planning and management, and related activities, particularly in disadvantaged communities.
In April 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity for competitive grants for proposals that provide equitable access to trees and nature, and the benefits they provide, especially in disadvantaged urban communities.
Following a competitive application process, the Forest Service has announced more than $1 billion in grants to community-based organizations, local and state governments; agencies and other governmental entities; tribes and tribal organizations; nonprofit organizations; public institutions of higher education; and community-based organizations.
100% of these funds will flow to disadvantaged communities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, 2 U.S. territories, and 3 affiliated pacific islands.
Additionally, the agency has allocated $250 million in funding directly to state and territory forestry agencies to administer grants to disadvantaged communities.
What is Urban Forestry?
What are urban forests?
Over 141 million acres of America’s forests are located right in our cities and towns. Urban forests come in many different shapes and sizes. They include urban parks, street trees, landscaped boulevards, gardens, river and coastal promenades, greenways, river corridors, wetlands, nature preserves, shelter belts of trees, and working trees at former industrial sites. Urban forests, through planned connections of green spaces, form the green infrastructure on which communities depend. Green infrastructure works at multiple scales from the neighborhood to the metro area to the regional landscape.
Why are urban forests important?
The 2010 census reported that nearly 81% of Americans now live in urban centers, up from 79% just 10 years earlier. Over this same time frame, urban populations grew by more than 12.1%, outpacing the national growth average of just 9.7%. It is clear that we are becoming a more urbanized nation. Because of these growth patterns, urban forests are more important than ever- they are the trees outside our front doors. They are dynamic ecosystems that provide critical benefits to people and wildlife. Urban forests help to filter air and water, control storm water, conserve energy, and provide animal habitat and shade. They add beauty, form, and structure to urban design. By reducing noise and providing places to recreate, urban forests strengthen social cohesion, spur community revitalization, and add economic value to our communities.
Learn more about our work in urban areas
- Urban and Community Forestry Program
- Urban Forestry Research
- Urban Field Stations
- Technology and Science Delivery
- Urban National Forests