(Radio Iowa) – Cedar Rapids lost around two-thirds of its tree canopy in the 2020 derecho and today (Thursday) was awarded millions of dollars from the U-S-D-A Forest Service grant program. U-S Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack joined Cedar Rapids officials to announce six million dollars for the city’s reforestation plan.

Other cities in Iowa will receive a total of six and half million dollars for its trees. The funding comes for the Inflation Reduction Act. The federal government’s traditional budget for funding urban tree planting is 36 million dollars each year for the entire country — but has increased that to one-point-five billion dollars with the Inflation Reduction Act money.