Federal funds secured to mitigate impact of climate change

H.R. 2471, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 signed into law by the President on Tuesday, March 15, included his request for $300,000 to assist the City and County of Honolulu to adapt to climate change with its city-wide Tree Inventory and Management Plan.

“Often under appreciated, Oʻahu’s trees, especially in our highly dense urban center, besides lending beauty to our Honolulu, are environmental workhorses and essential components of both climate change adaptation and mitigation,” said Congressman Ed Case, who made the funding announcement.

“According to the City and County of Honolulu, for each dollar spent on tree planting and care, Honolulu’s trees provide $3 in benefits. Recent assessments have determined that Oʻahu has lost nearly 5% of its total tree canopy over the study area in just four years,” he said.

Congressman Ed Case is a member of the US House Committee on Appropriations, which is responsible for all federal discretionary spending.

“This assistance through Congress’ Community Project Funding program will enable Honolulu to develop a complete inventory of its tree assets, which is essential for determining the number of publicly owned trees, planning for new trees and tracking their maintenance needs. Analyzing a complete inventory against social vulnerability and other demographic and environmental data can identify potential disparities in city tree assets across communities and work towards equitable distribution of resources,” according to the congressman.

“Trees and our urban forests are some of the most important elements of a thriving, sustainable community,” said Director of the City and County of Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation, Laura H. Thielen. “We have excellent programs in place for City and community tree planting, and to grow our tree canopy. With this funding for an integrated tree asset management system, we can more effectively manage the expanding tree resources.”

This year the US House incorporated CPF requests by individual Members of Congress for specific projects and purposes in their district into its annual appropriations process. Rep. Case made ten CPF requests, all of which were funded.