Monday, November 13, 2023
The revitalization project around Village Creek and 16th Ave N in Birmingham, Alabama, is a concerted effort by the Jefferson County Department of Public Health and local community members. The department has allocated a substantial budget of $650,000 to expand tree coverage in the area. The project is spearheaded by individuals like Thomasine Jackson, the president of the East Thomas community's neighborhood association, with the support of a local nonprofit and the county’s health department, emphasizing the importance of increasing the tree canopy in urban areas to mitigate climate change impacts and improve residents' lives. A key player in this initiative is Francesca Gross, the program manager at Cool Green Trees, a local nonprofit focused on planting trees in the right places to combat climate change and address issues like stormwater flooding that often affects low-income communities. The project's funding, under the leadership of the Jefferson County Department of Health, includes $400,000 for the first year and an additional $250,000 for four subsequent years.