How state and federal funding could impact Oregon’s urban forests

Oregon’s urban and community forestry program has grown significantly over the last few years thanks to an influx of state and federal funding. The program’s staff has more than tripled, and it recently received nearly $27 million in federal funding through the Inflation Reduction Act. Of that, $10 million is earmarked for grants to Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes, and $12.5 million will go to communities and organizations across the state to help with tree planting and maintenance.

Scott Altenhoff is the urban and community forestry program manager for the Oregon Department of Forestry. He joins us to talk about what those opportunities could mean for the state’s urban forests.

Note: The following transcript was created by a computer and edited by a volunteer.

Dave Miller: This is Think Out Loud on OPB. I’m Dave Miller. The Oregon program that focuses on tree canopies in urban areas just got a federal grant so big it could be transformative. Oregon’s urban and community forestry program received almost $27 million in Inflation Reduction Act funding. According to KLCC, that is 100 times more than the office typically receives. Scott Altenhoff manages the program for the Oregon Department of Forestry. He joins us now. Welcome back.

Scott Altenhoff: Thank you, Dave. It’s a pleasure to be here.

Miller: So, just as a refresher, what is this program meant to do? What’s the idea behind it?

Altenhoff: Well, the overarching intent of the Inflation Reduction Act – the federal initiative – is to address social, economic and environmental justice issues, and by taking a different approach from what was typically done, we’re hoping for different outcomes. Here in Oregon, we’re just trying to invest in those communities that have historically been left behind when it comes to federal investments in trees and green infrastructure.

Miller: And what does that mean? It’s been a little while since we had you on, but what is the urban and community forestry program meant to do?

Altenhoff: Our program focuses on improving the relationship between trees and people in urban areas and even peri-urban areas or suburban areas, and rural areas for that matter. There are a lot of benefits that could be, and are, provided by trees, and a lot of benefits that we’re missing the boat, we’re missing the opportunity. So our program strives to maximize the benefits that trees and green infrastructure-related vegetation and natural features in an ecosystem can provide, and minimize some of the costs and liability.

We all know that trees come with some downsides, whether that’s leaf litter or trees falling in ice storms. So we’re just trying to maximize the good and minimize the bad, and we do that primarily by focusing on education and technical assistance. And now, thanks to this funding opportunity, financial assistance.

Miller: $26 million. Can you put that in the context of your budget in recent years?

Altenhoff: Historically, our budget has supported two full-time employees ‒ two positions ‒ and we’ve never had an annual budget of more than a few hundred thousand dollars to support everything. Now, thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, we’ve received a state allotment of just under $4 million to stand up some programs and build capacity, and then provide about $22.5 million of funding to our community partners by way of competitive grants.

Miller: What are you going to be able to do with seven employees that you couldn’t do with two? I mean, how much more ground can you cover?

Altenhoff: Quite a bit. Historically, we’ve had to take a more wholesale approach in our interactions with folks. We didn’t have the staff and the means to really get into all the important details, and to spend the essential time with municipalities, with counties, with nonprofit organizations, really touring their communities, listening deeply to what their needs and goals are, and then figuring out how to apply resources to address those.

And now, thanks to a threefold increase in staffing and funding, the possibilities are that much greater. We’re able to build some synergies, so there’s a factor of efficiency that I’m hopeful will be far more than just three or four times additional services provided, or additional benefit, but far greater than that. We’re partnering with Oregon State University, and there will now be increased capacity for their graduate program in urban forestry, and we’re also working to invest in an extension agent. So yet more technical expertise to come to bear.

Miller: Let’s turn to the grant-making portion of this, because that’s even more sizable just in terms of dollars; $10 million is going to support projects for Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes. How have you been engaging with tribal leaders around this issue?

Altenhoff: We have really recognized the need to approach our relationships with the nine sovereign nations, the nine federally recognized tribes of Oregon, by listening and learning, first and foremost, nd working, taking a uniquely different approach from efforts in the past where we don’t want to presume we know what they need and what needs to be done, but really taking our lead from those communities and following their lead.

Up to this point, the last six to nine months have been a lot of relationship building, once again, grounded in listening and learning, trying to understand time frames, and how we can minimize the burdens associated with grant writing. And that applies not just for the tribes ‒ the nine federally recognized tribes of Oregon ‒ but for all our community partners, BIPOC communities throughout the state, and rural communities who have also been left behind, historically.

Miller: Meaning you want to make it easier for folks of all kinds to ask for and get money?

Altenhoff: Yes. Having just been through an extensive grant writing process for this Inflation Reduction Act opportunity, I know firsthand how much work is involved. And we’re very fortunate here. We have the agency capacity and staff expertise to do this.

If we’re talking about a nonprofit organization with limited staff, limited resources, there’s a lot to be done. So we’re hoping to use this opportunity to provide technical assistance and financial assistance to ease those barriers and burdens to securing grants, and hopefully setting not just so that it’s a flash in the pan, but so that these organizations have long-term capacity and expertise to pursue the next set of funding opportunities that might arise.

Miller: What might community groups or sovereign nations or school districts or nonprofits – what might they do with this money? What can they do with this money?

Altenhoff: Well, we’ve tried to be as full systems oriented as possible. We didn’t want to prescribe, once again. We wanted to help communities – whether that’s municipal entities and agencies or nonprofit organizations or neighborhood organizations – figure out what they were hoping to solve.

Oftentimes that relates to livability, economic opportunities, health situations with environmental burdens, air quality or urban heat, and just help them figure out what they’re dealing with and how trees and green infrastructure can be part of the long term solution. And that is often complex, and can change over time. So we’re just trying to respect communities’ needs and aspirations and help to empower them over the long term, once again, to make sure it’s a successful long-term endeavor, not just a flash in the pan.

Miller: Along those lines, we asked our listeners on Facebook how they think Oregon could improve urban forest canopies. Alanna Joy wrote, “We need to invest in supporting homeowners with trees. That would be one thing to add to the list – tree maintenance. A lot of homeowners,” she wrote, “can’t maintain their trees.”

Heather Mitchell Borgaro wrote, “Make developers plant and maintain shade trees until they reach maturity. Same for landlords, most see trees as a maintenance issue.”

You know, both these points they get at, not just planting trees, but maintaining them.What can you do at the state level to make it more likely that after trees are planted, they actually thrive?

Altenhoff: Yes. I think it was Kurt Vonnegut in “Cat’s Cradle,” a  line that has stuck with me for a long time. Something to the effect of, “everyone wants to build, but nobody wants to do maintenance,” and it’s so true – that applies for trees as well.

With this statewide endeavor, we’re really highlighting the fact that, as you mentioned, if we’re just focusing on planting trees, we’re not going to be as successful as we might if we focus on a more holistic method or methodology involving planning, implementation and aftercare. And what you’re referring to with  long-term tree maintenance is the bane of most cities I’m familiar with.

Tree planting itself is expensive, but maintaining trees over the long term ‒ if you haven’t come up with a good plan, a good funding plan and maintenance plan ‒ it’s really challenging. So we’re trying to invert or change, shift the paradigm when it comes to tree planting initiatives.The federal legislation was pretty vague. It said $1.5 billion for tree planting and related activities, and we’re really trying to focus on the related activities components.

So, working to support urban community forestry assessment and planning. We’re trying to also reinforce culturally responsive education and engagement, and outdoor recreation opportunities. We’re trying to build a stronger community of practice. The arborists, the urban foresters, who need to work hand in hand with landscape architects and architects and public works personnel in our cities to make things work.

A major focus will be on workforce development, helping to diversify and close the opportunity gaps for people who might be interested in a career in urban forestry, but don’t know about it or have the same aids that would make it a real possibility. So we’re trying to address those barriers. And of course, we’re hoping to get a lot more trees in the ground but not just trees planted. Trees maintained over the long term.

Miller: We got another I’d love to run by you M’lissa Wetherell who said that, “One way to improve the urban forest canopies in Oregon is by planting female trees to soak up a bunch of this pollen. End the practice of horticultural sexism, only planting male trees.”

Is that still part of the canopy practice, putting more male trees along streets?

Altenhoff: Yes, I do think it is more common in order to avoid the historic problems associated with fruit litter or perceived “messiness” ‒ and I’m using air quotes there ‒ and just more certainty about the tree stock. But we do recognize that pollen issues and diversity issues, we have to think, once again, in a whole systems manner. So if we’re only planting male trees and not female trees, I think that could be potentially problematic. I know there are many good reasons in the past for focusing on that from a horticultural standpoint, but I’d like to use this as an occasion to re-evaluate and sponsor more adaptive management within our urban forests. Look at what’s working well and look at what has not been working well. And if those conventions haven’t been serving us well, to make changes, to articulate them and share the lessons and share the ways of circumventing those problems.

Miller: What do you see as the biggest threats to Oregon’s urban trees right now?

Altenhoff: It’s a combination of things. First and foremost, climate change is arguably our greatest threat, and that manifests itself in a number of ways: the urban heat island, or the extreme heat events, but also the extreme winter events, the ice storm and the high winds, heavy precipitation that can saturate soils and when the wind blows, result in falling trees. The extended ecological drought takes its toll in a slightly different manner.

And then couple that with pests ‒ new pests and pathogens ‒ that it seems there are new… We, of course, have the emerald ash borer that appeared two years ago, but there is a newly discovered mediterranean oak borer that could imperil our native and non-native oaks. And I think we have yet to see what nature has to throw at us. But we recognize we have to be prepared for the as of yet unknown.

Miller: Scott Altenhoff, last word, quickly, please.

Altenhoff: You bet.

Miller: You said there’s one more…

Altenhoff: One more is development. Here in Oregon, we have urban growth boundaries, and I think that’s a good thing, but currently, it’s putting pretty intense pressure on urban tree spaces. The competition for urban space is pronounced right now. So, we need to figure out the win-win situation. We do believe we can have more development and more housing, but take care of our tree assets as well.

Miller: Scott Altenhoff is the urban and community forestry program manager for the Oregon Department of Forestry. Thanks very much.

Altenhoff: Thank you.

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