What does Preamble of Neighborhood Tree Act of 2026 do?

This bill amends the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978. The bill aims to provide States and communities with additional assistance. The assistance is intended for planting and maintaining trees.

What does SHORT TITLE. of Neighborhood Tree Act of 2026 do?

This bill is formally titled the Neighborhood Tree Act of 2026.

What does FINDINGS. of Neighborhood Tree Act of 2026 do?

This section identifies findings related to urban forests. It states that healthy urban forests support physical and mental health, air quality regulation, heat island mitigation, energy demand reduction, and stormwater management. Research suggests the benefits of urban forests exceed $18,000,000,000. Maintaining urban forests can create workforce development opportunities, jobs, and enhance property values. Urban forest canopy cover is inequitably distributed, with disparities among racial groups and income levels. Historical discriminatory policies, such as redlining, continue to impact urban environments. Urbanized neighborhoods with people of color have less tree canopy than majority white neighborhoods. Low-income neighborhoods have less tree cover than wealthier neighborhoods. Communities with primarily white populations have more urban forest canopy cover than minority communities. Formerly redlined areas exhibit elevated land temperatures compared to nonredlined areas. The Federal Government should accelerate actions to enhance urban forest health and resilience, particularly in priority communities.

What does NEIGHBORHOOD TREE FUND. of Neighborhood Tree Act of 2026 do?

This section establishes the Neighborhood Tree Fund within the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978. The Secretary is directed to use amounts from the Fund to provide assistance to eligible entities for increasing and improving the health of a community's tree canopy. Eligible entities include States, Indian Tribes, local units of government, approved organizations, and local community tree volunteer groups. The Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, will establish requirements for receiving assistance, including community engagement, tree canopy assessments, climate change science integration, and monitoring. Priority for assistance will be given to projects in census tracts with high poverty rates or communities with lower tree canopy and higher temperatures. Projects that optimize climate mitigation and resilience for public health, or advance community-led urban agroforestry, will also receive priority. No more than 10% of funds can be used for community tree assessments. The Act authorizes appropriations of $100 million for fiscal year 2025, increasing to $700 million for fiscal year 2029.

What does NATIONAL URBAN AND COMMUNITY FORESTRY ADVISORY COUNCIL of Neighborhood Tree Act of 2026 do?

This section amends Section 9(g)(2)(A) of the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978. The number of members of the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council is increased from 15 to 16. Commas at the end of clauses (i) through (viii) are replaced with periods. The phrase ", and" at the end of clause (ix) is replaced with a period. Clause (x) is struck and replaced with a provision for 3 members with expertise in urban and community forestry who are not government employees. One of these three members must be a resident of a community with a population of less than 50,000. Another of these three members must be a resident of a low-income community, as determined by the Secretary.

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Neighborhood Tree Act of 2026

Last updated: 4/23/2026 · Introduced: 4/23/2026

Author: Shontel Brown (D-OH)

TL;DR (AI)

This bill establishes the Neighborhood Tree Fund, providing $100 million in fiscal year 2025, increasing to $700 million by 2029, to support tree planting and maintenance in communities.
The bill prioritizes funding for projects in low-income areas and communities with lower tree canopy and higher temperatures, addressing inequities in urban forest distribution.
It amends the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council to increase its membership and ensure representation from individuals with expertise in urban forestry and residents of smaller and low-income communities.

119th Congressin committeeOfficial page

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Other Sections

Includes provisions on preamble, short title., and 3 more.

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