This agreement provides funding of $500,000 to houston wilderness under the inflation reduction act (IRA)

This project, super trees for sustainability-alief, seeks to address the lack of climate resiliency, the economic disadvantages prevalent, and the lack of infrastructure for reversing the urban heat island's effect, throughout the alief-westwood area. Houston wilderness will utilize three main components to carry out this project: urban forestry, education and training, and expanded community engagement with diverse demographic groups. Overall, this project will lead to better climate resiliency, a revitalized economy by installing nature-based infrastructure, improved property values, and an improved quality of life in the target areas. Activities:the project activities for houston wilderness' super trees for sustainability initiative, partnered with alief-westwood, consist of developing a native tree planting program in the community that incorporates surveillance in the target areas, to identify ideal locations to plant the trees; creating diagrams of pavement areas, where pavement/parking lot tree shading planters will replace concrete in the parking lots and other pavement areas; determining the number of super trees species to plant; and engaging in large-scale native super tree plantings per the regional planting season. The results of the study-driven analysis would be combined with input from the community to increase the validity of the areas that are hotspots for heat, flooding, and pollution. Subrecipient:houston health foundation: will assist houston wilderness by providing health mapping, creating a dashboard for the target area to track heat and fine particulate matter pollution, emergency department heat related illness, 911 calls for asthma attacks and cardiac arrest in time and space and education the target area on the connection between the environment and health. The houston health foundation will be provided a sub-award of $135,000. Alief super neighborhood council: will assist with local facilitation of community meetings, youth and volunteer involvement, maintenance, and training. The alief super neighborhood council will be provided a sub-award amount of $24,000. Alief-based engineering design company: will work with the community on the design, location and dimensions for pavement/parking lot tree shading planters. Houston wilderness will provide funding to the design company via a sub-award amount of $8,150.outcomes:the project's anticipated deliverables include engaging with the community partners on education and training of regional native super trees species and the high ecosystem services values that they provide over the life of the trees and long-term maintenance. Classes will be offered to teach residents and commercial property owners how to plant the super trees species and how to care for and maintain the trees long-term. The houston health department will provide health mapping, health connections, continued pollution monitoring, and continued heat monitoring and analysis. The processes will be documented through video, photography, storytelling, and regular reporting, which will be made available on the houston wilderness website. Houston wilderness and program collaborative partners will assess the results of the 'super trees for sustainability-alief' project to evaluate and understand its effectiveness, identify improvement areas and develop sustainability strategies. Metrics for program evaluation will include community meetings, training sessions, and workshops. The expected outcomes comprise of the design and creation of contiguous, low-cost pavement/parking lot tree shading planters on large pavement/parking lot surfaces and other high-heat areas identified by the community; significantly reducing the urban heat islands around the communities, lowering temperatures, and reducing particulate matter air pollution; providing OTH