We are midway through the summer and the flourishing forests around us are sending us a visual reminder to start planning for next year’s tree projects! Urban Forestry Grants provided by the WDNR can help during this process. For those of you that don’t know, the application period opened on July 1, 2018 and closes on October 1, 2018. The DNR offers two grant applications to help your community establish or refine your forestry management practices.
These grant opportunities include the "Start Up Grant" and the "Regular Grant". Both grants are a 50% reimbursement program, meaning that if your project has been approved, the DNR will reimburse 50% of the project’s cost in March of 2020. The reimbursement amount for the “Start Up Grant” is $1,000 - $5,000, and anywhere between $1,000 - $25,000 for the “Regular Grant”. Eligible projects for the “Regular Grant” consist of improving tree management, community operations, and/or education and outreach to the public or internally with your staff. Eligible projects for the “Start Up Grant” consist of smaller scale hands-on activities such as tree planting, pruning, removal, treatments, and staff training.
The primary goals of these grant projects relate to creating an impact on private tree canopy, creating or updating a tree inventory, and/or working with partners to implement professional educational events or training.
Ruekert & Mielke, Inc. (R/M) has partnered with Wachtel Tree Science Inc. for several decades to help communities plan for their projects, write grant applications, as well as carrying out the work that was planned. Over the years, R/M worked with Wachtel in multiple communities to develop tree inventories using GIS, conduct a canopy analysis of both private and public trees, train staff, as well as perform tree maintenance and treatments.
Urban Forestry Grant applications are competitive and also require a signed resolution by the community’s board members stating that the project has been approved. We recommend that you start planning now!
Contact our forestry experts if you'd like more information or would like our help with the application and/or project.
About the Author
Kevin M. Korth
Technology Solutions Advisor
Kevin has a diverse background focused around GIS, public works processes, software implementations, and client success management. He utilizes these skills to work closely with clients to advise them on the best technologies to meet their goals. A combination of his skill set and personality drives his passion for training clients and setting them up for success. His involvement with numerous software implementations has given him the experience of working with several departments within an organization to achieve both community and department goals.
