Michigan DNR awards $67,000 in Community Forestry Grants

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources recently announced the awarding of 12 grants totaling $67,148 for urban forestry projects statewide. This competitive grant program, a cooperative effort between the DNR and the USDA Forest Service, funds projects that help create and sustain local urban forestry programs. A list of the grantees is attached.

Grants are awarded for tree planting, community tree inventories, management plans and education/training projects which enhance and promote urban forestry in Michigan.  A list of this year’s award recipients is attached.

The grants are federally funded through the USDA Forest Service’s State and Private Forestry Program.  Cost-share funds are available to local units of government, schools, tribal governments, and nonprofit entities [501(c)3)].  Grants require 1:1 matching funds toward projects performed on non-federal, public lands or lands open to the public.  Grant awards will be distributed in November for projects to be completed by Sept. 1, 2012.

Organization (County) Project: - Amount

• Arboriculture Society of MI (Ingham) Education and Training - $9,978
• Berrien County Parks Commission (Berrien) Tree Planting - $1,000
• Chippewa/East Mackinac Conservation Dist. (Chippewa) Tree Planting - $1,000
  City of Birmingham (Oakland) Street Tree Inventory - $20,000
  City of East Lansing - Parks & Recreation (Ingham) Park Assessment and Management Plan - $6,400
• City of Rochester (Oakland) Street Tree Inventory - $14,700
• Friends of the Shiawassee River (Shiawassee) Tree Planting - $2,000
• Mecosta County Parks Commission (Mecosta) Tree Planting - $2,000
• Shepherd High School (Isabella) Tree Planting - $300
• Trout Lake Township (Chippewa) Tree Planting - $1,000
• Village of Fairgrove (Tuscola) Tree Planting - $2,000
• Village of Suttons Bay (Leelanau) Street Tree Inventory - $6,770