Washington’s federal funding cuts have made their way to the City of Pensacola.
Last week at the city’s environmental advisory board meeting, arborist Chase Crawford announced that Pensacola lost its $1 million Arbor Day grant.
“That’s officially terminated,” he said.
The grant was part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service to support urban forests. Pensacola was one of 385 recipients from across the country. The city’s proposal, called “Pensacola Urban Forest Project,” was one of 23 cities in Florida selected for a grant, according to a 2023 article from the Pensacola News Journal.
Crawford said the city is still dedicated to planting “a lot of trees” with nearly $250,000 in the tree trust. The funds are generated from violations of the city’s tree ordinances.
“We’ll be able to plant the same amount of trees, it’s just going to take a little longer,” Crawford said.
