Hopewell: Virginia Department of Forestry program will improve city's tree canopy

HOPEWELL — The Virginia Department of Forestry selected Hopewell for its Community Forest Revitalization Program. The city will partner with the Green Infrastructure Center [GIC] to improve the city’s tree canopy through urban forestry planning, management and community tree planting.

“Trees are an important element of the city’s health. They are natural air filters that decrease asthma rates by reducing air pollution," Karen Firehock, GIC’s executive director, said.

The program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the Inflation Reduction Act is available at no cost to the city. This initiative will help Hopewell plan for a healthier future and implement goals related to community health and beautification for the city's comprehensive plan.

“Studies have shown that businesses also benefit from the presence of mature trees, with higher spending recorded in well-treed commercial areas," Jessica Huang, GIC's community forest planner, noted.

Kendall Topping, GIC’s urban forester, shared, "Trees help lower temperatures by up to nine degrees in the summer by providing shade and promoting exercise and healthy living."

During this two-year program, GIC, a Virginia-based nonprofit organization founded in 2006, will assist with city-wide tree planning goals and work with underserved and disadvantaged neighborhoods to choose how to plant trees in their neighborhood through a series of community engagement activities and meetings. For more information, visit gicinc.org.

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This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Hopewell selected for Virginia Department of Forestry two-year program