Landscape Scale Restoration Grant

Puget Sound Region, Washington

City Forest Credits, American Forests, The Nature Conservancy and The Davey Institute were awarded a Landscape Scale Restoration grant from the US Forest Service and Washington Department of Natural Resources. This project brings together multiple partners to produce a regional urban tree canopy assessment and ecosystem valuation for the urban area of Central Puget Sound (King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties). Using best available science, partners will create a Canopy Action Plan for organizations and jurisdictions to prioritize urban forestry projects that support specific ecosystem goals and to achieve the highest return on investment.

The LSR grant will also provide funds to pilot projects using the City Forest Credits carbon projects that can generate carbon credits and new funding sources.

This project ultimately leads to the improved health of communities, people and waters of Puget Sound, as it highlights the gaps and opportunities to enhance urban forests in the region and provides a roadmap for implementation. The Davey Institute, American Forests, and The Nature Conservancy will begin the canopy assessment work in summer 2019. In spring 2020, City Forest Credits will work with grant partners and local stakeholders to generate new funding and new funding partners for urban forest projects.

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Grant

Nationwide and Rhode Island focus

American Forests and City Forest Credits were awarded a Doris Duke Charitable Foundation grant focused on a range of activities across the country that elevate climate mitigation and improved public health as outcomes of urban forestry. In order to achieve this goal, urban forestry efforts will need to align the right kind of tree canopy to places of greatest impact, and use next-generation urban forestry techniques to assure that these urban forests remain healthy and resilient.

Activities under this grant proposal will include research, technical and financial tools, practitioner training and convening, policy incubation, and on-the-ground implementation that will build new capacity across the urban forest movement to undertake this climate and health-enhanced approach. American Forests will begin delivering on-the-ground implementation of this approach in partnership with the State of Rhode Island to provide a scaled-up model of success for the U.S. Climate Alliance and the nation.

CFC will continue to work with local partners to demonstrate the viability of Carbon + Credit projects and programs in select communities, providing technical assistance to interested jurisdictions seeking to develop credits and soliciting corporate buyers. CFC will also develop new protocols to meet market needs such as the Emerald Ash Borer Management Protocol to save ash trees and a Sustainability Protocol for corporate buyers that do not want or need carbon offsets.

With better demonstration and quantification of urban forest potential to advance climate mitigation and health resilience, American Forests and CFC hopes to engage public and private finance at new scales.