Politics & Government
Medford Secures $100K In MA Funding To Assess Urban Forestry Network
The Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Action Grant will be used to study the effects of climate change on the city's trees.
MEDFORD, MA — The City of Medford's Department of Public Works (DPW) has been awarded a $100,000 grant to research strategies that strengthen the resiliency of its urban forestry network, city officials announced Wednesday.
The Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Action Grant comes from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA).
According to Medford officials, the funding will be used for an urban forest vulnerability assessment, which will provide information about the effects of climate change on the city's urban forest.
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By understanding the vulnerabilities that Medford's tree canopy will face, the city will be able to devise and implement maintenance strategies and identify opportunities for growth, officials said.
"We need to have as much data and information as possible to continue to develop dynamic long-term strategies for our urban forest to successfully flourish and grow despite the growing challenges caused by climate change," Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn said. "This vulnerability assessment will be essential to strengthening our tree system as we plan for the changing climate of the future."
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Lungo-Koehn said DPW Commissioner Tim McGivern and Tree Warden Aggie Tuden were instrumental in securing the funding for this project.
"With our climate changing, there are multiple environmental risk factors that may arise like extreme weather events, heat and drought and sea level rise that can make our tree canopy vulnerable," Tuden said. "This assessment will help us gain a clearer picture of how we can strengthen our urban forest and develop a successful plan for the future."
Medford officials said the city is fully committed to expanding its forest and canopy management, something officials illustrated recently with the release of the city's GIS Map of tree plantings from 2022.
More information about Medford's tree strategy and procedures is available on the City of Medford website's Forestry Division page.
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