WY Community Forestry Grants

Overview

Community Forestry

A community or urban forest is all the trees growing in and around a city, town, or village. It includes trees along streets, in parks, school yards, home landscapes, utility rights-of-way, vacant lots, greenbelts, and along stream banks. Shrubs, ground covers, soil, wildlife, and water bodies are also part of the urban forest. Streets, buildings, utilities, parking lots, and, most importantly, people, are an integral part of the urban ecosystem.

Community forestry is often called urban forestry. Urban forestry is the management of these forests and related natural resources. Successful community forestry programs coordinate the management of these natural features and human development in ways that reduce conflicts and allow them to enhance and benefit each other.

The mission of the community forestry program in Wyoming is to help communities build effective, self-sustaining community forestry and tree care programs with strong local support.

The state program fosters partnerships between government agencies, businesses, and volunteers to promote and improve community forests throughout the state. The Wyoming State Forestry Division provides leadership and technical assistance to communities and organizations throughout the state. Program assistance includes tree inventories, management plans, tree care recommendations and workshops, and grants for local community forestry development.

There are three grant categories; Community Tree Planting, Community Forestry Program Development, and Program Scholarships. 

Program Development category

The Wyoming State Forestry Division in conjunction with the USDA Forest Service have developed these guidelines for distributing available funds for Program Development and Educational projects. Some examples of projects include community tree care workshops, publication of brochures on recommended trees or proper tree care, interpretive signs for an arboretum, tree inventories and community forestry management plans, development of training materials, web page development and media projects, community forestry interns, etc.

Tree Planting Category

The Wyoming State Forestry Division, in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service, have developed these guidelines for distributing available funds for large scale tree planting projects. Funding for the grant program is from federal funds provided by the National Urban and Community Forestry program. The grants are intended to assist local communities, non-profit groups, conservation organizations, and others to improve the quality of the state’s urban and community forests. The grant program is for projects not currently being funded, and is not intended to substitute for existing funding levels. 

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website.

• In order to qualify for funds you MUST have volunteers involved in the project.  
• Some examples are: FFA Chapters, 4-H Clubs, Master Gardeners, student organizations, garden clubs, tree boards, civic organizations, non-profit groups, etc.
• This is a 50/50 cost share grant. The match must equal or exceed the grant amount requested.
• The match for Education/Program Development category can be cash, in- kind services, or a combination of both.
• Local matching funds for the tree planting grants category must be a cash match.
• Tree Planting Category:
• All tree planting grant funded projects must be on nonfederal publicly owned property.
• You will be required to provide extra care and maintenance for a minimum of 5 years to ensure proper establishment of the trees.
• Trees purchased and used under this matching grant must have a shape and form of that species and be a minimum of 1 1⁄2 inches in caliper (evergreens must be a minimum of 4 feet in height).
• While grant funds must be used for single stem trees, a portion of the local match may be used for shrubs.
• Only high quality nursery stock should be used and trees purchased must meet the specifications of the ANSI Z60.1-2014 American Standard for Nursery Stock.
• All trees must be planted in accordance with proper modern tree planting techniques. All trees must be mulched in order to ensure healthy root growth and to protect the new trees from mower and weed trimmer damage.

Preferences

• Tree Planting Category:
• Preference may be given to:
• Applicants who have not recently received a Community Forestry grant
• Projects in communities that are currently Tree City USA certified
• Projects in communities that have a local tree board or similar organization