Trees

Hear from the staff that grow and package thousands of seedlings each day.

In mid-February, the federal government cut a $4.7 million grant to the Arbor Day Foundation’s Community Roots Program. It brings trees to low-income communities. Beyond Housing, Forest ReLeaf and the Friends of the Bellefontaine Cemetery would have planted thousands of trees with the funding.

Beyond Housing received a $20,000 grant from the American Water Charitable Foundation to help curb illegal dumping and replant trees in parts of north St. Louis county. The grant will also help with trash cleanups, tree maintenance and the removal of invasive bush honeysuckle.

St. Louis will be among the five metro areas most impacted by an “extreme heat belt” projected to emerge across the central U.S. in the next 30 years, according to a study published last summer.

A major surge in climate resilience funding is allowing urban forestry departments to focus on trees. About $1.5 billion of funding will be invested in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program.

Healthy trees not only beautify neighborhoods, they promote better health outcomes for residents.

The city gets more trees, and companies are able to offset their carbon use.

Forest ReLeaf is the recipient of the Arbor Day Foundation’s first-ever Environmental Equity Grant, which will fund 200 new trees for the city’s Ville community.

The nationwide program is based in St. Louis, and Fort Leonard Wood is one of 77 military installations around the country to get the trees.

Some experts believe that by the century’s end, autumn leaves could change color up to three weeks later than today. Susanne Renner of Washington University has built a different model.