DNR Community Forestry

Historic grant funding to assist in urban and community forest management

Tree canopy plays an important role in the health, well-being, and safety of Minnesota’s communities and its residents. Beginning July 31, The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will have $16.946 million in funding available to provide grants to local units of government and non-profit organizations within Minnesota to assist in managing urban and community forests.

DNR staff invite you to attend an upcoming in-person information session to learn more about these grant programs. Information sessions will run for an hour. Staff will remain available to field additional questions and chat through potential project ideas after the programming ends.

Tuesday, Aug. 1 at 10 am, Moorhead Public Library, Moorhead
118 5th St. S., Moorhead, MN 56560

Thursday, Aug. 3 at 1 pm, Two Harbors Public Library, Two Harbors
320 Waterfront Dr., Two Harbors, MN 55616

Friday, Aug. 4 at 10am, Bremer Room, Great River Regional Library, St. Cloud
1300 W. St. Germain St., St. Cloud, MN 56301

Tuesday, Aug. 8 at 10am, Room 104, City Hall, Rochester
201 4th St. SE, Rochester, MN 55904

Thursday, Aug. 10 at 10am, DNR Office, Windom
175 Co. Rd. 26, Windom, MN 56101

Tuesday, Aug. 15 at 10am, Bluepeak Room, Red Baron Arena, Marshall
1651 Victory Dr., Marshall MN 56258

Wednesday, Aug. 16 at 10am, DNR Central Office, St. Paul
500 Lafayette Rd., St. Paul, MN 55155
DNR Central Office parking map

More about DNR’s upcoming grant offerings:

$6.883 million will be available through ReLeaf Community Forestry grants. Eligible applicants include non-profit organizations with 501(c)(3) status and local units of government within Minnesota, including cities, counties, regional authorities, joint powers boards, towns, and tribal. Parks and recreation boards in cities of the first class are also eligible to apply. Eligible activities through ReLeaf include:

• Community forestry work conducted on public land, or on residential land for low-income residents
• Work conducted by staff or contractors
• Tree inventories
• Management plans
• Tree and stump removal and tree replacement
• Tree planting
• Chemical treatment of ash trees with an injectable non-neonicotinoid insecticide
• Developing a tree ordinance
• Tree cabling
• Maintenance pruning
• Urban and community forestry or arboriculture education and outreach
• Professional certifications and/or training related to the proposed project
• Additional plant healthcare treatments, as approved

$10.063 million will be available through Shade Tree Program Bonding grants. Eligible applicants include local units of government within Minnesota, including cities, counties, regional authorities, joint powers boards, towns, and tribal. Parks and recreation boards in cities of the first class are also eligible to apply. Eligible activities through the Shade Tree Program consist of:

• Removal and replanting of shade trees on public or tribal land to provide environmental benefits
• Replacement of trees on public or tribal land lost to forest pests, disease, or storm
• Tree planting on public or tribal land to establish a more diverse community forest better able to withstand disease and forest pests

Applicants can request a maximum of $500,000 from each grant program. No minimum request or match is required. Get more information and download the applications once they become available from the DNR’s Community Forestry https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/forestry/urban/index.html

Priority will be given across all funding to projects that prioritize emerald ash borer (especially removing and replacing ash trees that pose significant safety concerns), and benefit underserved populations and areas of concern for environmental justice. Priority points will be given to applicants outside of the 7-county Twin Cities metropolitan area.

All eligible applicants, if they have the capacity to manage two grant programs at once, are encouraged to apply to both programs.

Please direct any questions about DNR UCF grant funding to ucf.dnr@state.mn.us.

Individuals with a disability who need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this event, please contact a UCF Team Member at ucf.dnr@state.mn.us or 651-259-5274 by Friday, Jul. 28. Calls from Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) users are welcome.

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