Community & Urban Forestry
Community & Urban Forestry Mission
The Division's Urban Forestry Program provides statewide leadership to increase public awareness of the value of trees and associated natural resources in urban areas. We assist Indiana communities and encourage citizen involvement in protecting, expanding and improving our community forests.
Community & Urban Forestry Goals
- Protect, enhance and expand urban forests and related natural resources.
- Promote awareness of urban forestry issues which will result in increased broad-based support.
- Improve the expertise of urban forestry practitioners.
- Promote networking and partnership building amoung public and private entities.
- Increase funding opportunities for urban forestry programs.
Urban forests are located on public and private land right in our own back yard. They line our city streets and highways; make our towns, parks and recreation areas places where memories are made; and add life to the landscape of concrete. As society becomes more urbanized and sprawls into rural areas, urban forest and woodlots become an increasingly important resource.
Urban forests provide many benefits. Trees in cities, towns, suburbs and sprawl areas help to clean the air of pollution and provide oxygen. While helping to control erosion by reducing storm water run off, urban forest also keep our urban watersheds clean. When located properly they can even lower heating and cooling costs.
The Community and Urban Forestry Program (CUF) offers technical assistance to cities and towns interested in maintaining or improving this important resource. Communities can find out more about their urban forests by having a public tree inventory done and a management plan developed.
Activities that can be applied for through the federally funded Urban Forest Conservation Fund grant program include: Inventories, management plans, Arbor Day events, workshops, seminars, tree planting projects, Project Learning Tree workshops, hiring a city forester, purchasing urban forestry publications for residents, and enhancing the urban forest of parks and cemeteries and woodlots.
Communities who choose to improve their urban forests may become a Tree City USA upon meeting these four standards:
- Pass a public tree care ordinance
- Appoint a tree board and city department to manage the tree care program
- Spend at least $2 per capita and
- Have an Arbor Day proclamation and event.
CUF offers quarterly workshops on various aspects of urban forestry and tree care. The Indiana Community Tree Steward program is offered three times a year throughout the state and empowers graduates to offer assistance to their neighborhood, community and local civic organizations. Many Tree Stewards are now serving on local tree boards in their community. CUF partners with the Indiana Urban Forest Council, which is the non-profit umbrella group for urban forestry, and offers many networking and education opportunities as well as the annual urban forestry conference in October.
For more information about any urban forestry grant, contact the IDNR, Division of Forestry, Urban Forestry Program at: 6515 E. 82nd St. - Suite 204, Indianapolis, IN 46250 Phone: 317-915-9390 E-mail: urbanforestry@dnr.IN.gov.
Community & Urban Forestry Grant Programs
Urban Forest Conservation Grants
The Urban Forest Conservation (UFC) grants are intended to help communities develop long-term programs to manage their urban forests. Grantees may conduct any project that helps to improve and protect trees and other associated natural resources in urban areas. Community projects that target program development, planning and education are emphasized. Projects funded in the past include activities such as conducting tree inventories, developing tree maintenance and planting plans, writing tree ordinances, conducting programs to train municipal employees and the public, purchase or development of publications, books and vides, hiring consultants or city foresters, etc. Certified Tree Cities may spend up to 20% of the grant funds on demonstration tree planting projects. Local municipalities, not-for-profit organizations and state agencies are eligible to apply for $2,000 to $20,000. Application deadline is in November.
