Indiana
Indiana Forest Alliance rallies to protect urban forests
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Outside Monday night’s Indianapolis City-Council meeting, the Indiana Forest Alliance rallied to convince city leaders to protect urban forests.
Organizers are demanding Democratic Mayor Joe Hogsett use $6 million in the 2025 budget for urban forest acquisition.
The group marched from its office on Alabama Street to the City-County Building, where the council met.
Organizers say they are fighting off multiple real estate deals that endanger Indianapolis forests.
Jeff Stant, the executive director of the alliance, said, “We just did a study two years ago that showed the forests canopy in Indianapolis is producing about $258 million in benefits. … It’s not chump change. This is real value that the forests produce every year for Indianapolis.”
Hogsett is expected to announce the 2025 budget proposal in august, and the council will vote on it in October.
This story is from a script aired on WISH-TV.