This spring, the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council (WRWC), along with national and regional nonprofit partners, won a federal lawsuit that challenged a freeze on congressionally approved infrastructure and climate funding. U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy ordered the Trump administration to release billions in funding for environmental and infrastructure projects, including nearly $1 million for WRWC’s urban forestry work along the Woonasquatucket River Greenway.

The funding will support WRWC’s Nuestros Bosques, or Our Forests, initiative, a community-driven urban forestry program focused on putting trees where they are most needed. Trees planted through this program help protect streambanks, enrich native ecosystems, and provide shade for neighborhoods.

Over the next three years, WRWC will use the funding to:

  • Build a dense, multi-layered Miyawaki forest along and near the Greenway. These pocket forests, planted with diverse native species, grow quickly into self-sustaining ecosystems.

  • Support two WRWC team members: Layla Farahbakhsh, Nuestros Bosques Program Coordinator, and Kuno Haimnodi, River Ranger Tree Specialist.

  • Train around 50 community members as tree stewards to care for newly planted trees and help sustain the urban forest.

  • Expand green spaces that provide shade, lower urban temperatures, reduce stormwater runoff, and support urban biodiversity.

“Trees are more than beautiful additions to our streets and parks. They protect streambanks, cool neighborhoods, reduce flooding, and improve health and well-being. This funding lets us plant trees where they are needed most and helps community members gain the skills to care for them. This project doesn’t just plant trees, it grows leadership and stronger communities. It’s exciting to see urban forests thrive as neighbors step up to sustain them,” said Layla Farahbakhsh, Nuestros Bosques Program Coordinator at WRWC.

WRWC’s partners on this project include the Providence Neighborhood Planting Program, 15 Minute Field Trips, the Rhode Island Tree Council, Garden Time, Groundwork Rhode Island, and Central Providence Unidos. Together, they are caring for more than 300 trees along the Greenway and plan to continue planting in the coming years.

This funding comes through the Hispanic Access Foundation’s Nuestros Bosques Initiative, a national program supported by the USDA Forest Service to promote urban forestry and community engagement across the country and in Puerto Rico.