$1 million: Federal aid will pay for shade trees to fend off heat in Palm Beach County

Palm Beach County announced Friday it will receive $1 million through a grant funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

The money will help fuel the county’s “Resilient Glades Tree Campaign” to plant trees in six county parks, host tree giveaway events and pilot an urban food orchard. The six parks are Canal Point Recreation Area and Triangle park near Lake Okeechobee, Duncan-Padgett Park and Paul-Rardin Park in Pahokee, John Stretch Memorial Park near Lake Harbor and Glades Pioneer Park in Belle Glade.

“Local parks play a critical green infrastructure role,” said Jennifer Cirillo, the county’s Parks and Recreation Department Director. “We are thrilled to work with our partners to increase tree canopy in the Glades Region, further mitigating the urban heat island effect, making our community more climate resilient and providing additional wildlife habitat in our parks.”

Through the EPA’s Environmental Justice Government-to-Government Program, the county was one of 88 grantees, and it received the maximum number of grant dollars that could be awarded. The aim of the campaign is to achieve goals including decreasing the impacts from urban heat, improving air quality, absorbing storm water, increasing native biodiversity and increasing access to fresh produce, according to a county release.

This is the most recent and one of the most significant efforts conducted by the county in mitigating the effects of climate change and pushing for environmental restoration. The county’s Office of Resilience has been hosting workshops to discuss climate-related threats in different communities.

Megan Houston, the county’s Office of Resilience director, said in a statement the workshops have helped reveal what county residents want to fund.

“People explained how extreme heat combined with a lack of tree canopy coverage is a big problem for their community and prevents them from enjoying outdoor recreation spaces safely,” she said. “They wanted to see more shade trees invested in their parks, and we are thrilled to work with community members to help bring funding to do just that.”