CIVIC-PG Track A - Developing Community-Informed Strategies for Increased Longevity of Urban Trees to Mitigate Climate Change

该项目旨在为长期维护健康的树冠提供政府、社区和财政支持，以减轻气候变化造成的空气污染和城市高温加剧，特别是在因撤资和种族歧视而导致高温上升的风险最大的社区。通过制定与社区价值观相一致的树木维护计划，并通过新成立的中西部树木中心分享整个中西部地区的经验教训，该项目将开发工具，利用非传统资金进行树木维护，以缓解极端高温的影响，同时改善空气质量，减少能源负担，并解决其他社区优先事项。该项目大大增加了扩大树冠的工作，以最大限度地造福人类和环境健康。虽然许多社区都有一些谜题，比如应该在哪里种植树木，以及如何为种植新树提供资金，但长期保持健康树冠的能力往往因缺乏资源、知识和协调而受阻。该项目将通过利用支持、共享知识和加强协调来关注这些障碍，以公平地维持健康的树冠，以减轻气候变化的影响。这一规划努力将中西部四个社区的地方政府、非政府组织和学术机构聚集在一起，通过开发基于社区的长期解决方案来维护和扩大树冠，以建立气候适应能力，重点关注那些经历了最严重的投资减少和在健康、收入和气候适应能力方面遭受最大差距的社区。这项工作将把印第安纳波利斯、密苏里州堪萨斯城、威斯康星州戴恩县和圣路易斯的地方政府和社区组织聚集在一起，分享成功的工具、数据集和战略，并更深入地探讨共同的挑战和障碍，这些挑战和障碍不仅将使他们的社区受益，而且将影响整个中西部地区。Focus社区一直在收集数据和探索资源，以更好地规划各自地区扩大树冠的计划。这种多城市和多机构的合作将扩大合作伙伴和利益相关者在以下方面的知识：随着气候变化种植区的变化，种植和维护战略的好处量化；部署传感器和技术以帮助更有效地进行树木维护的最佳实践；制定和实施优先考虑服务不足和历史上被剥离的地区的长期维护计划的社区参与战略；以及将碳信用用作当地树木项目的长期资金的可能性。该项目是对公民创新挑战计划的响应--Track A.生活在不断变化的气候中：围绕适应、恢复和缓解的灾前行动--是NSF、国土安全部和能源部的合作。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to provide government, community, and financial support for long-term maintenance of a healthy tree canopy to mitigate air pollution and exacerbation of urban heat from climate change, especially in communities at greatest risk from increased heat as a result of disinvestment and racial discrimination. By developing tree maintenance plans that align with community values and sharing lessons learned across the Midwest region through a newly formed Midwest tree hub, this project will develop tools for tapping into non-traditional funds for tree maintenance that alleviate the effects of extreme heat while also improving air quality, reducing energy burdens, and addressing other community priorities. This project significantly adds to the work on expanding tree canopy to maximize benefits to human and environmental health. While many communities hold pieces of the puzzle, such as where trees should be planted and how to fund the planting of new trees, the ability to maintain a healthy tree canopy over time is often thwarted by a lack of resources, knowledge, and coordination. This project will focus on those barriers by leveraging support, sharing knowledge, and increasing coordination to equitably sustain healthy tree canopies to mitigate the effects of climate change.This planning effort brings together clusters of local government, NGOs, and academic institutions in four Midwestern communities to build climate resilience by developing long-term, community-based solutions to maintain and expand tree canopy, focusing on communities that have experienced the most disinvestment and suffered the greatest disparities in health, income, and climate resilience. This work will bring together local government and community organizations in Indianapolis; Kansas City, Missouri; Dane County, Wisconsin; and St. Louis, to share successful tools, datasets, and strategies as well as dive deeper into common challenges and barriers that will not only benefit their communities but have impacts throughout the Midwest. The focus communities have been collecting data and exploring resources to better plan for expanded tree canopy in their respective locales. This multi-city and multi-institution collaboration will expand partner and stakeholder knowledge in: quantifying benefits of planting and maintenance strategies as planting zones shift due to climate change, best practices for the deployment of sensors and technology to aid in more efficient and effective tree maintenance, community engagement strategies for developing and implementing long-term maintenance plans prioritizing underserved and historically disinvested areas, and the possibility of using carbon credits as long-term funding for local tree programs. This project is in response to the Civic Innovation Challenge program—Track A. Living in a changing climate: pre-disaster action around adaptation, resilience, and mitigation—and is a collaboration between NSF, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Energy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.