Oklahoma City, OKLA. – Applications are being accepted for grants to help communities across the state improve their forests. 

Oklahoma Forestry Services, in conjunction with the US Forest Service and the Oklahoma Community Forestry Council, is accepting applications through November 13, 2020 from local governments, non- profits, neighborhood associations, civic groups, educational institutions and tree volunteer groups. The grants are available to support for a wide variety of projects and resources needed to assess, plan, maintain and improve urban and community forests. 

This funding can be used for projects such as forestry plans, conducting tree inventories, staffing, tree board development and tree protection ordinance development or revisions. Other projects that will be considered include public education materials, training, arboretum development and demonstrations projects that include tree maintenance or construction protection. A full list of acceptable projects can be found in the application. 

“We encourage organizations to use this opportunity to enhance their forested areas because trees are a vital asset to communities, providing health, environmental and economic benefits,” said Mark Bays, Oklahoma Forestry Services Urban and Community Forestry Coordinator. “We want to assist those communities that want to take a proactive approach to planning and caring for their trees.” 

The Urban and Community Forestry Grants range from $1,000 to $10,000 and require that recipients provide 50/50 matching funds in cash, donations or in-kind contributions and/or services. Up with Trees, Tree Bank Foundation Oklahoma and the City of Norman were the recipients in 2019. 

Applications are available on the Oklahoma Forestry Services website at www.forestry.ok.gov and must be filled out and mailed to Oklahoma Forestry Services, 2800 N. Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73105 by 5pm on November 13, 2020. All applicants will be notified of the status of their application by December 15. Recipients will have one year from start date to complete their project. For questions or more information contact Mark Bays at 405-522-6150 or mark.bays@odaff-staging.kochcomm.dev. 

###