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Residents urge $3 million urban-forest acquisition fund in 2026 budget
Summary
Dozens of speakers at the Indianapolis City–County Council budget hearing urged the council and mayor to create a $3 million urban forest acquisition fund to preserve at‑risk canopy and combat heat, flooding and stormwater costs.
Dozens of residents and conservation advocates asked the Indianapolis City–County Council on the evening of a public budget hearing to restore a $3,000,000 urban forest acquisition line in the 2026 budget to buy and protect at‑risk woodlands across Marion County.
Speakers from the Indiana Forest Alliance, Forest for Indy and neighborhood groups told councilors that canopy cover in Marion County has fallen from about 32% (based on earlier imaging cited by speakers) to roughly 27% and that mature forest patches deliver immediate stormwater, cooling and public‑health benefits that newly planted trees cannot replace.
The request built on money the council appropriated last year that was not secured permanently in 2026, advocates said. “Without investment from the city, forests vital to us all will remain near worthless to owners, and we will continue to lose this vital green infrastructure to development,” said Jonathan Munro, speaking for Forest for Indy. Munro and other speakers asked the council to include $3,000,000 for an urban‑forest acquisition fund in the 2026 budget and to authorize the…
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