The red dotted line indicates the border of Portsmouth, in which this project is centralized. Map sourced from Google Maps.
Isaac Fick|Marlin Chronicle
As of March 20, the Virginia Department of Forestry heat mapping grant has been reinstated after being put on hold for over a month, with the department communicating that the process for reimbursement would remain the same as before the freeze. The Department of Forestry confirmed that if grants are cancelled in the future all money properly spent before the cancellation would be repaid as usual.
“We were glad to learn that our grant has been unfrozen and that we can resume work on the project,” Dr. Elizabeth Malcom, professor of Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences and director of Sustainability, said.
Going forward, the project is running another meeting with the Portsmouth community to discuss the results of the heat mapping and to get input on what heat risk reduction strategies that the community would like to move forward with. There is a possibility that a tree planting for this project will be scheduled for this semester, though because of the grant’s earlier pausing, there may not be enough time for a planting location to be found and contacted, or for a planting to be organized. If the planting does not occur this semester, it will occur in the fall semester.
By Clay Yokom
