City of Fort Lauderdale Receives ARRA Forest Health Improvement Grant
City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida - Venice of America
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City of Fort Lauderdale Receives ARRA Forest Health Improvement Grant

142 Trees Added to City’s Urban Canopy

Angela Sabina DiPietro, Public Information Specialist
(954) 828-4777 or angelas@fortlauderdale.gov

Fort Lauderdale – The City of Fort Lauderdale has been awarded $18,820 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Division of Forestry through an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to assist in the ongoing reforestation efforts in response to the 2005 hurricane season, in the South Middle River neighborhood. The Forest Health Improvement grant has allowed for the purchase and installation of 142 trees including gumbo-limbos, pigeon plums, sabal palms and orange geigers. The City of Fort Lauderdale will maintain the plan material for three years.

The South Middle River neighborhood was selected for this project due to its need for both reforestation and beautification as well as for its active citizenry. The project also offers the opportunity for area residents to take part in the "greening" of their neighborhood while learning about and enjoying the value of trees.

The funding for this project was provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). The USDA is working to implement provisions of the Recovery Act to reduce the unemployment rate as well as to rejuvenate the economy. The Recovery Act provided USDA with nearly $28 billion in funding. Of that, $1.15 billion has been allocated to the Forest Service for project work in forest restoration; hazardous fuels reduction; construction and maintenance of facilities, trails, and roads; green energy projects; and grants to states, tribes, and private landowners.
  
The City of Fort Lauderdale is proud to be certified as a Tree City USA for the past 32 years for protecting and promoting our urban tree canopy.  For more information on the City of Fort Lauderdale’s Urban Forestry Division, please call (954) 828-5785 or visit www.fortlauderdale.gov/life/urban_forestry.

For more information on the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Division of Forestry, please visit www.fs.fed.us/foresthealth.