Urban communities across Maryland will receive over 17,500 trees
Urban Tree Grant
Wicomico County, Md. – Unfortunately, many underrepresented communities are rooted in underprivileged areas, and in Maryland, trees are being planted in urban spaces to provide more than just shade. Marylanders can turn over a “new leaf” with the Urban Trees Grant Program, which aims to enhance the quality of community livability. Experts in the area got to the root of why this is so important.
Health, climate, economy, and the environment. Four benefits to planting trees in urban areas according to Chesapeake Bay Trust. Maryland was awarded $7.5 million under the Urban Tree Grant. Senior Program Officer Lianna Gomori-Ruben says the funding will be distributed between 28 community organizations to plant over 17,500 new trees, specifically in historically underserved areas. The act calls for 5 million trees to be planted across Maryland by 2031, with 500,000 of those trees in urban areas.
Gomori-Ruben says trees have effects on both physical and mental health, and that’s why urban communities are the focus. “Trees are actually a really simple solution to address a lot of complicated problems… Our residents that are living in urban and underserved areas are experiencing the effects of climate change more intensely. And we know that when we plant trees in this community, we can lower that heat.”
She goes on to say, “Planting trees is a really simple way to clean the air and reduce asthma rates… When there’s more tree canopies in communities, crime rates are lower, heat disease risks are lower, emotional and mental health is higher, and we know that when we plant trees, we stimulate green jobs.”
The grant will plant 825 trees in Wicomico County, and Parson’s Cemetery specifically was awarded $6,300 to plant 18 trees. Dr. Brent Zaprowski is a Board member of Parson’s Cemetery. “It’s helping us, but we’re really trying to be good neighbors to the community at large… You know, especially in an urban setting where there’s a lot more potential for pollutants to get washed off into, for our case, Johnson’s Pond, which goes to Wicomico, which goes to the bay…
He says cemeteries are community green space, and people come to do more than just visit loved ones. “You can come here, especially early in the morning, late in the afternoon, lots of people walking dogs here all the time, most of them are people in the neighborhood because we don’t have a lot of parks on this side of Salisbury, so this is a place where a lot of people come to enjoy the scenery.” Zaprowski says even the graveyards deserve a bit of greenery.
