BOISE, Idaho — Boise is called "The City of Trees" for a reason, but efforts to plant even more trees this spring are being put on pause as a side effect of ongoing federal funding freezes.
I’m your Boise Neighborhood Reporter, Jessica Davis, talking with the Treasure Valley Tree Canopy Network about how they’re navigating these changes and their impact on residents.
They received more than a million dollars in federal Forest Service grants in 2023, but now spring planting plans are put on pause due to the federal funding freeze.
"We do know we have funding currently to plant trees in Boise, so we’ll be planting trees in Boise this fall. If we can make up that gap or if the federal funding freeze goes away, we’ll be able to plant in those other cities as well,” says Lance Davisson, Executive Director of the Treasure Valley Canopy Network.
Davisson tells me the freeze not only affects their planting schedule but their staff as well since the network typically sends the Forest Service invoices for monthly reimbursements.
“We want to keep our staff going, so we’re going to continue to invoice the USDA Forest Service for that," he says. "Hopefully, eventually, those invoices will get paid. But luckily, because we don’t put all of our eggs in one basket, we do have other funding sources."
Other sources include The City of Boise, nonprofit members, the public and private sectors, and other organizations.
But to stay afloat after a dip in the budget, they’ll have to borrow from their financial reserves.
I sat down with Boise Mayor Lauren McLean, who’s prioritized planting in the city in an effort to reduce urban heat.
“It has real impact on real people throughout this region, and that is our goal: to cool our neighborhoods with trees. That just got a whole bunch harder if the cities are not involved, as we are,” says Mayor Mclean.
The network hopes to plant 100,000 trees in Boise by 2030 to improve air quality and provide shade during hotter months. But with the pause in additional funding, cities like Nampa and Meridian will have to wait until the fall to receive resources from the organization.
Davisson says, “We have halted all the programming for our move west, which we’re excited to do. We’ve proven that we can do great work for the city of Boise. We’d like to do it for cities like Nampa, Meridian, and Caldwell. That’s where we’re at, but I refuse to give up hope.”
Programs like the Treasure Valley Tree Captains will remain inactive until the fall following the pause in funding.
Executive Director Lance Davisson emphasizes that the nonprofit isn’t the only organization going through these changes while having to retain a sense of hope moving forward.
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