ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Allentown officials are “cautiously optimistic” about proceeding with plans to do a federally funded tree inventory, according to the city parks director.
The city was in line to get a $920,800 grant from American Forests, a funding partner for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service.
But the agency advised Allentown and hundreds of other grant recipients to stop all work funded by those awards. That order came after the U.S. Office of Management and Budget issued a directive in January to hold federal funding.
City officials were ready to award a $220,000 contract for a survey of most trees in Allentown but uncertainties over funding forced them to pause that plan for more than a month.
“We are hopeful that it will shake out, that we will get money to do some of the work."Mandy Tolino, Allentown parks and recreation director
City Council unanimously approved that contract — for Davey Resource Group — on Wednesday night after American Forests said the city could move forward with the tree inventory portion of the project.
Mandy Tolino, who runs Allentown’s parks and recreation department, said the city received enough funding to cover the inventory, and officials are “cautiously optimistic” that they can act on results of the inventory after banking more of the grant that’s already been awarded.
“We are hopeful that it will shake out, that we will get money to do some of the work,” Tolino said after alluding to “unprecedented changes” under President Donald Trump’s new administration.
Another city official said uncertainty over federal funding caused a monthslong delay in awarding the tree inventory.
Allentown now has $220,000 to complete the inventory, but it’s unclear if the other $700,000 will ever come with the federal government pulling out of contracts “without valid reasons,” she said.
'Monumental' task
City Council Vice President Cynthia Mota lamented “the times we’re living in right now.”
“We’re living in difficult times,” she said. “Sometimes you think that you have a certain amount of money, and then, sad to say … the next day, the money might be gone.”
Councilwoman Ce-Ce Gerlach said she hopes the results of the inventory are “still relevant four years from now, if we were to come into money four years from now.”
“Trees are not just a natural resource, they’re an asset to our community."Kyle Ropski, co-chairman of Allentown’s Environmental Advisory Council,
Kyle Ropski, co-chairman of Allentown’s Environmental Advisory Council, urged members to approve the tree-inventory contract.
“Trees are not just a natural resource, they’re an asset to our community,” Ropski said.
Documenting “tens of thousands” of trees in Allentown is a “monumental” job, Tolino told council members.
But it’s “a valuable task to complete, whether or not there is funding,” she said.
