Indiana Division of Forestry's Community Urban Forestry Program provides guidance and grants to communities for the development and caretaking of urban forests.
An urban tree canopy is part of a community’s infrastructure and creates valuable environmental, economic, and social benefits. Well-managed urban forests pay back nearly three times the cost to plant and maintain them.
More than 80 percent of the urban forest is in our own backyard. As society becomes more urbanized and sprawls into rural areas, forests, wooded edges, and woodlots in urban areas are an increasingly important resource.
Contact us at:
Jacob Roos
CUF Program Director
JRoos@dnr.IN.gov
317-234-4386
Grants
Funds are made available to Indiana communities for public tree inventories and management planning, tree planting, education and outreach materials, and other related projects depending on funding source priorities.
2024 End of Year Report
This was a special year for many reasons. We added a new position, urban forestry specialist, to our program and awarded more than $3 million in grants to municipalities and nonprofits. We also hosted six Tree Steward events, the 2024 Indiana Community and Urban Forestry Symposium, the annual Arbor Day poster contest, a Big Tree Tour, and two Tree City forums. We accomplished a lot in 2024, and we’re excited to keep growing in 2025. Here’s a look at everything we achieved together in the past year.
Indiana Tree Stewards
The Indiana Community Tree Steward Program is a workshop offered periodically throughout the state that teaches the basics of urban tree care and how to communicate the benefits of urban trees. Attendees are asked to use their skills by volunteering 15 hours of service to local communities to improve or maintain the urban forest.
A general Tree Steward workshop is a full two-day course for those who have not attended before. Participants may be representatives of tree boards, municipal tree care specialists, or general volunteers interested in learning about trees.
A refresh Tree Steward workshop is a half-day course for those who have previously attended Tree Stewards and want to bolster their urban tree care knowledge.
Upcoming Events:
2025 Spring events to be announced soon.
Advanced Tree Steward Training Events:
None at this time.
Contact Racheal Stenger at 317-234-6741 or rstenger@dnr.IN.gov for questions about the Tree Steward program.
Indiana Community and Urban Forestry Symposium
The Indiana Community Forestry Council (IN-CFC) and DNR Community and Urban Forestry work together to host the Indiana Community and Urban Forestry Symposium each year. This symposium is open to anyone interested in urban forestry in Indiana, including representatives of tree boards, local municipalities, and volunteers. Details about this year's symposium can be found below.
- 2024 Community and Urban Forestry Symposium
Dec. 3 & 4 at Crown Hill Cemetery and Arboretum in Indianapolis
(agenda) (registration)
Tree City USA & National Arbor Day Foundation Programs
The Community & Urban Forestry program is a partner with the Tree City USA program. In 2022, Indiana had 65 Tree City USA communities, 16 Tree Campuses, 6 Tree Line USA, and one Tree Campus K-12 in West Lafayette.
Requirements for becoming a Tree City USA include:
- Appoint a tree board or city department to manage the tree care program.
- Have or pass a public tree care ordinance.
- Spend a minimum of $2 per capita on a community forestry program.
- Have an Arbor Day proclamation and hold an Arbor Day event.
