Arthur Johnson and the Importance of Trees in the Lower 9th Ward
Arthur Johnson has been a resident of New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward for nearly three decades. Over the years, he has come to deeply appreciate the role that trees play in his community. They serve as natural filters, reducing pollution from the large ships that travel along the nearby Mississippi River, and provide much-needed shade during the sweltering summer months. However, the impact of Hurricane Katrina two decades ago was devastating, destroying 200,000 trees across the city, including many in Johnson’s neighborhood and even some in his own yard. Since then, the city has struggled to restore its tree canopy, a challenge that has been exacerbated by recent events.
The Loss of a Critical Grant and Its Impact
In mid-February, the U.S. Forest Service made the decision to terminate a $75 million grant to the Arbor Day Foundation, which had been instrumental in planting trees in neighborhoods that might otherwise not have the resources to do so. This decision is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to roll back environmental justice initiatives. In New Orleans, a portion of this funding was allocated to the environmental group Sustaining Our Urban Landscape (SOUL), which has successfully planted over 1,600 trees in the historically Black community. However, with the grant termination, SOUL has been forced to pause its plans to plant an additional 900 trees. Arthur Johnson, who runs a local nonprofit, the Lower 9th Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development, emphasizes the significance of these trees, noting that their loss affects not just the environment but the sustainability and well-being of the entire community.
The Vital Role of Trees in Urban Environments
The importance of trees in urban areas cannot be overstated. They are not just aesthetically pleasing; they play a crucial role in capturing stormwater, replenishing groundwater, and cleaning the air in polluted areas. Trees also contribute to improved mental health and help cool the air and surfaces, especially during heat waves that are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change. Studies have shown that shade from trees can reduce heat stress on the human body by 25% to 35% throughout the day. Despite these benefits, research indicates that low-income and minority communities often have fewer trees and experience higher temperatures than more affluent areas. The loss of funding for tree-planting initiatives in these neighborhoods exacerbates existing environmental and social inequalities.
The Broader Implications of the Grant Termination
The Arbor Day Foundation’s grant was part of the $1.5 billion allocated to the U.S. Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry program through former President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. However, in a February 14 email, the Forest Service stated that the grant "no longer effectuates agency priorities regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and activities." Dan Lambe, the Arbor Day Foundation’s chief executive, argues that the projects funded by the grant were intended to benefit every member of the community, not just disadvantaged groups. The termination of the grant has affected 105 nonprofits, municipalities, and Indigenous organizations across the country, from Alaska to Florida to Maine, all of whom were relying on this funding for critical environmental projects. For many of these organizations, the loss of funding is not only a financial blow but also a setback for their efforts to build more sustainable and resilient communities.
The Devastating Consequences for Local Communities
For organizations like SOUL in New Orleans, the loss of the grant means more than just a budget cut; it jeopardizes their very survival. Without the funding, SOUL can no longer afford to water the trees they have already planted, and they have had to abandon plans to hire three new staff members. An additional $2.5 million grant is now on hold due to the federal funding freeze, leaving SOUL’s founder and executive director, Susannah Burley, uncertain about the nonprofit’s future. "We kind of are lost because we don’t know if we should be planning to close our doors or if we should be planning for next season," she said. While some organizations may not face an existential crisis, the loss of funding is still devastating. In Butte-Silver Bow, Montana, forester Trevor Peterson was planning to use a $745,250 grant to remove dead or dying trees and plant up to 1,000 new ones as part of a long-term effort to restore the area’s tree canopy, which was depleted to make way for copper mining. Now, those plans are on hold, and Peterson and his team are back to the drawing board, trying to figure out how to move forward without the promised funding. In Jackson County, Oregon, the nonprofit Oregon Urban Rural and Community Forestry was awarded a $600,000 grant to replant trees after wildfires in 2020 destroyed thousands of homes and charred more than 60,000 trees. The town of Talent lost two-thirds of its trees in the fires, and the grant money was being used to help low-income and disadvantaged mobile home park residents identify and remove hazardous trees and replant new ones for shade and cooling. With the funding now gone, the organization is facing a "tremendous burden," according to its founder and director, Mike Oxendine. "This is a rural red area that needs it badly," he said. "We hit temperatures that exceed 110 degrees every summer now. We go through massive droughts and we’re always prone to wildfire here."
The Uncertainty Ahead and the Fight for Environmental Justice
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the parent agency of the U.S. Forest Service, released a statement saying that the agency was following directions to comply with Trump’s executive orders and that protecting people, communities, and the infrastructure they depend on remains a top priority. However, for the communities that were counting on the Arbor Day Foundation’s grant, the future is now filled with uncertainty. For Arthur Johnson and his neighbors in the Lower 9th Ward, the loss of funding is a stark reminder of the ongoing challenges they face in their efforts to rebuild and sustain their community. As Johnson put it, "You’re not just cutting out the tree, the environment" with such cuts. If those trees aren’t replaced and more aren’t continually added, "it really takes a toll on the sustainability of the Lower 9th Ward and its community." The fight for environmental justice is far from over, and for now, the fate of these critical tree-planting initiatives remains hanging in the balance.
