Haverhill is receiving $1 million for its tree program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program.
The city’s “Investing in Haverhill’s Urban Forest with Equity and Resilience” project was recognized by the competitive grant program designed to plant and maintain trees, combat extreme heat and climate change and improve access to nature in communities across the country. Haverhill joins eight other communities across the state sharing in $22 million in grants.
“This is going to restore tree-line streets to our inner city neighborhoods, which has been a goal for some time,” said Mayor James J. Fiorentini. He credited the city’s federal grants consultant Merchant McIntyre & Associates for its successful application.
The city will use the money to not only plant trees, but also conduct a comprehensive tree inventory to better understand the condition of existing trees, said former Haverhill Public Works Director Michael K. Stankovich, who now works as a city consultant and helped write the grant.
“We have planted more than 3,000 new street and shade trees in the past few years and we are now guaranteed that this work and commitment will continue into the future,” Fiorentini added.
Besides Haverhill, money for decarbonization and climate resilience went to Boston, Holyoke, Fall River, Lynn, Quincy, Watertown, Springfield and Southbridge.
The nine Massachusetts grant awards are part of more than $1 billion awarded to 385 applicants nationwide and comes from the Inflation Reduction Act signed by President Biden in 2022.