Norwalk City reports 454 trees planted in 2024; limited capital will constrain spring plantings

Norwalk City reported 454 trees planted across 2024 and said limited city capital budgets will sharply constrain citywide plantings this spring, members and staff said.

The totals come from spring and fall planting rounds: "spring 2024, Paul and I got 221 trees on the ground," and for the fall "we were able to plant 233 trees," Peter, committee member, said. Together, he added, those rounds produced "our total for the calendar year of 2024" of 454 trees.

The figures matter because much of the recent work was paid with one-time federal relief funds. "In the spring, to plant those 221 trees, we spent $180,000. In the fall, to plant the 233 trees, we spent $193 [thousand]," Peter said. He reported the two rounds together cost about $374,000 and that the city had expended the remaining ARPA funding allocated to the program.

City staff emphasized that available capital is now constrained. "As of the spring, what we have available across our capital budgets is very low. There's maybe $10 to $12,000 left in terms of capital,…