WHEELING — Green spaces in Wheeling are set to benefit from a $1.5 million Urban and Community Forestry Grant awarded as part of a partnership between West Liberty University and the West Virginia University Extension Service.

Falling under the Inflation Reduction Act, passed in 2022, the grant aims to establish a self-sustaining training program to create a local workforce of climbing arborists who are properly skilled in managing tree growth, disease identification, tree selection for plantings, controlling invasive species and urban riparian forest management.

Building on the city of Wheeling’s 2022 Urban Forest Management Plan, the grant will expand urban forestry efforts to underrepresented neighborhoods, specifically to enhance canopy cover and green spaces in South Wheeling and East Wheeling. The project will allow WLU and WVU to work closely with the city to promote awareness of the health impacts of urban forests as well as the needs of those forests.

The grant will also fund one full-time urban ecosystem manager position, managed by Ohio County, along with up to five paid internships for students enrolled in any West Virginia college or university. Full tuition will be provided for a West Liberty biology graduate student who will work on assessing canopy cover and green spaces throughout Wheeling.

James Wood, an associate professor of biology at West Liberty University, explained the growing need for urban forestry management as it relates to our changing climate.

“As we face longer and hotter summers, stronger storms, and the increased potential for prolonged droughts, we must look towards climate-resilient actions to help our communities adjust to these trends and events,” Wood said. “Tree canopies can regulate temperature, while healthy stands of trees help to manage water produced by heavy downpours and even storm surges.”

WVU Extension Service agent Karen Cox elaborated on the partnership with WLU.

“I have worked with Wood on several natural resource projects, both engaging students in the community and through founding the Wheeling Creek Watershed Alliance. Our partnership on this project was a natural outgrowth of past community engagements,” Cox remarked. “Working in natural resources means believing in a better future, being extremely patient, and not giving up,” she adds.

In the coming year, the public can expect stakeholder meetings to identify priorities and guide urban forestry management projects.

Focus groups of potential students, with the aid of various community outreach organizations, will be organized to help design the arborist training program. Potential employers will also be consulted to identify sought-after skills to guide curriculum development.