Funds from a $12 million federal grant to increase Philadelphia’s tree coverage that had been frozen under President Donald Trump’s administration appear to be available again, a city official said Wednesday.
News that the White House had paused the allocation to the Philly Tree Plan became public in early March during a City Council hearing, as reported by WHYY and the Inquirer, among other outlets.
“They have actually resumed payments,” said Casey Kuklick, deputy director of the city’s Office of Clean and Green Initiatives, during a Council budget meeting.
The update came as a surprise to several lawmakers, including Council President Kenyatta Johnson, who said he was told as recently as Tuesday that the city still did not have access to the money.
Trump has been moving to undo actions championed by his predecessor, and the tree plan grant was awarded last year by the U.S. Department of Agriculture via President Joe Biden’s climate-focused Inflation Reduction Act.
It was not immediately clear why the freeze was lifted. A spokesperson for Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration confirmed that the money was “on hold for brief period of time” but that reimbursements went out last month.
In 2023, under then-Mayor Jim Kenney, the city released a 10-year strategy for enhancing Philadelphia’s tree canopy, with an emphasis on improving coverage in neighborhoods with the least amount of shade.
The aim is to boost coverage from 20% to 30% citywide over three decades, an achievement that could prevent an estimated 400 premature deaths a year, generate 1,000 full-time jobs and spur a 12% reduction in crime, according to the report.
A tree assessment from 2019 found that the city lost 1,000 football fields worth of canopy between 2008 and 2018.
Kuklick, while testifying Wednesday, said the Department of Parks and Recreation planted 3,700 trees in 2024, 500 more than its annual goal. Parker wants to plant 15,000 in her first term, a number he said is achievable in partnership with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Fairmount Park Conservancy and other organizations.
