| June 9, 2009 The South
Coast Air Quality Management District has established the Tree Planting
Partnership -- a match funding opportunity for cities and counties within
AQMD’s four-county jurisdiction. A total of $1.5 million will be available
to co-sponsor tree planting projects.
The goal of the program is to help cities and counties build healthy
urban forests across the Southland, which will assist in reducing air
pollution, help remove greenhouse gases, and lower energy needs by providing
shade for buildings.
The Tree Planting Partnership is one of four elements of the Helping Hand
Initiative, a program approved by the AQMD Governing Board in February to
help keep the region on the path toward clean air while lending assistance
to businesses and local governments during the economic recession.
“Trees have the ability to
capture pollutants from the air while adding beauty to our communities,”
said William A. Burke, Ed.D., AQMD’s Governing Board Chairman. “This is an
opportunity for us to partner with communities to help clean our air and
beautify our neighborhoods at the same time.”
At its
June 5 meeting, AQMD’s Governing Board approved the Tree Planting
Partnership to assist cities and counties with additional tree planting
projects. AQMD has developed a list of 52 preferred California native trees
that have low biogenic volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, 11 of
which are also drought-tolerant.
Tree
planting projects must include a community outreach component, and should
include opportunities for temporary student employment to assist in
implementing them. Only cities and counties in AQMD’s four-county region
are eligible to apply.
Requirements for tree planting projects
include:
-
Trees that have low biogenic VOC emissions
and are native species to California
-
Trees are appropriate for the area where
they will be planted
-
Trees will be planted on public lands
-
Tree maintenance is provided after
planting
-
Outreach and educational components are
provided
To assist with the application process, AQMD
will hold two voluntary informational workshops on June 30 and July
17, both at 9:30 a.m. at AQMD Headquarters in Diamond Bar. Cities and counties
have until Friday, July 31, 2009 to submit project proposals.
For more information on workshops, project
requirements and a full list of qualifying trees, visit
www.aqmd.gov/aqmd/funding.html.
In other action, the AQMD Board:
-
Adopted a $131.7 million budget for fiscal
year 2009-10, which is a reduction of approximately $400,000 from the
2008-09 budget. No general fee increases are proposed for next year.
AQMD will use its reserve funds to offset lower estimated revenues due to
the economic downturn to balance the 2009-10 budget;
-
Adopted Rule 433 – Natural Gas Quality –
to require monitoring of the quality and quantity of natural gas being
supplied to the four-county region to determine the effects of new
supplies of natural gas -- such as imported liquefied natural gas -- on
natural gas quality and emissions;
-
Approved $840,000 from the Lower-Emission
School Bus Program Fund to retrofit 42 school buses in the Southland with
diesel particulate matter (PM) traps. Funding will go to three school
districts in the region; and
-
Re-appointed Edward Camarena to the
engineer member position on the AQMD Hearing Board, and appointed Julie
Masters to the attorney member position and Tom Browne as the alternate
engineer member. Each will serve a three-year term, ending June 30,
2012.
AQMD is the air pollution control agency for
Orange County and major portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and
Riverside counties.
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