The city of South Bend is aiming to plant 100,000 trees by 2050, roughly one tree per resident, in an effort to combat urban heat island effects and improve environmental sustainability.

During a Coffee and Donuts with the Forest Service event, the city introduced plans to plant approximately 5,000 trees per year. The initiative has received a significant boost with a $1.87 million grant from the U.S. Forest Service.

The grant is part of a larger $30 million allocation for urban forestry projects in the state of Indiana, which was made possible by an increased program budget of $1.5 billion for the Forest Service.