Delaware News

Delaware Forest Service awards over $47,000 in urban and community grants

Department of Agriculture | Forest Service | Date Posted: Friday, October 24, 2014



Delaware Forest Service urban forester Kesha Braunskill looks for signs of disease and decay on a street tree in New Castle County. More than half of the DFS' urban and community grants this year will fund hazard tree removals, primarily in New Castle County.
Delaware Forest Service urban forester Kesha Braunskill looks for signs of disease and decay on a street tree in New Castle County. More than half of the DFS’ urban and community grants this year will fund hazard tree removals, primarily in New Castle County.

The Delaware Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry Program is awarding over $47,000 in competitive grants to fund 14 community-based tree projects in all three Delaware counties.  Homeowner groups, civic associations, nonprofit organizations, and municipalities were eligible to apply for up to $5,000 in funds for a tree planting or tree management project. Recipients are required to match at least 50 percent of their grant through cash or in-kind match of volunteer hours or equipment. This year, more than half of the successful projects – a total of $29,429.35 – addressed tree management issues such as the removal of hazardous trees. Overall, 11 projects were funded in New Castle County, one in Kent County, and two in Sussex County. Applications were evaluated by a committee of the Delaware Community Forestry Council according to several factors, including whether the community  or municipality has adopted a tree canopy goal, first-time applicant status, and how well the project addresses key objectives in the Delaware Forest Service’s Statewide Forest Strategy.

Since the grant program’s inception in 1991, the Delaware Forest Service has awarded over $1.76 million to more than 200 organizations to improve their urban forest resources. More information about Delaware’s urban and community forestry program is online at delawaretrees.com.  Urban forester Kesha Braunskill can be reached at 302.659.6704 or kesha.braunskill@delaware.gov.

2014 Urban and Community Grant Recipients

TREE MANAGEMENT GRANTS
County Community/Municipality Amount
New Castle Ardentown $4,169.00
New Castle Carrcroft $2,000.00
New Castle Edenridge $5,000.00
New Castle Newark $4,847.85
New Castle Odessa $5,000.00
New Castle Tavistock $2,950.00
Sussex Georgetown $462.50
Sussex South Bethany $5,000.00
TREE PLANTING GRANTS
County Community/Municipality Amount
New Castle Arden $2,214.50
New Castle Beech Hill $3,170.00
New Castle Delaware City $3,843.50
New Castle Westover Hills $1,289.00
Kent County Parks and Recreation $2,415.00
CHESAPEAKE BAY GRANTS
County Community/Municipality Amount
New Castle Bay Pointe $5,000.00
Total: $47,361.35   
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Delaware Forest Service awards over $47,000 in urban and community grants

Department of Agriculture | Forest Service | Date Posted: Friday, October 24, 2014



Delaware Forest Service urban forester Kesha Braunskill looks for signs of disease and decay on a street tree in New Castle County. More than half of the DFS' urban and community grants this year will fund hazard tree removals, primarily in New Castle County.
Delaware Forest Service urban forester Kesha Braunskill looks for signs of disease and decay on a street tree in New Castle County. More than half of the DFS’ urban and community grants this year will fund hazard tree removals, primarily in New Castle County.

The Delaware Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry Program is awarding over $47,000 in competitive grants to fund 14 community-based tree projects in all three Delaware counties.  Homeowner groups, civic associations, nonprofit organizations, and municipalities were eligible to apply for up to $5,000 in funds for a tree planting or tree management project. Recipients are required to match at least 50 percent of their grant through cash or in-kind match of volunteer hours or equipment. This year, more than half of the successful projects – a total of $29,429.35 – addressed tree management issues such as the removal of hazardous trees. Overall, 11 projects were funded in New Castle County, one in Kent County, and two in Sussex County. Applications were evaluated by a committee of the Delaware Community Forestry Council according to several factors, including whether the community  or municipality has adopted a tree canopy goal, first-time applicant status, and how well the project addresses key objectives in the Delaware Forest Service’s Statewide Forest Strategy.

Since the grant program’s inception in 1991, the Delaware Forest Service has awarded over $1.76 million to more than 200 organizations to improve their urban forest resources. More information about Delaware’s urban and community forestry program is online at delawaretrees.com.  Urban forester Kesha Braunskill can be reached at 302.659.6704 or kesha.braunskill@delaware.gov.

2014 Urban and Community Grant Recipients

TREE MANAGEMENT GRANTS
County Community/Municipality Amount
New Castle Ardentown $4,169.00
New Castle Carrcroft $2,000.00
New Castle Edenridge $5,000.00
New Castle Newark $4,847.85
New Castle Odessa $5,000.00
New Castle Tavistock $2,950.00
Sussex Georgetown $462.50
Sussex South Bethany $5,000.00
TREE PLANTING GRANTS
County Community/Municipality Amount
New Castle Arden $2,214.50
New Castle Beech Hill $3,170.00
New Castle Delaware City $3,843.50
New Castle Westover Hills $1,289.00
Kent County Parks and Recreation $2,415.00
CHESAPEAKE BAY GRANTS
County Community/Municipality Amount
New Castle Bay Pointe $5,000.00
Total: $47,361.35   
image_printPrint

Related Topics:  , , , , , , ,


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.