More than $180,000 in grant money has been awarded to support urban and community forestry projects in several Connecticut towns and cities, officials said.
The state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection announced the recipients of 2025 Urban and Community Forestry Planning and Urban Forested Natural Areas and Riparian Corridor Restoration grants. Over $184,000 will be granted to support 11 urban and community forestry projects in Bloomfield, Ellington, Mansfield, New London, North Stonington, Old Saybrook, Ridgefield, Stamford, and Stratford, according to officials.
The grant money, distributed with federal funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, will help fund projects that protect and enhance urban and community forests, such as tree inventories, forest management plans, invasive species removal and native tree plantings, officials said.
“Urban forests contribute to livable cities and provide numerous benefits, including heat and pollution mitigation, stormwater management and improved health outcomes for residents,” said DEEP commissioner Katie Dykes. “Urban trees can boost local business and support workforce development and have been linked to reductions in crime. The grants offered through DEEP’s Urban and Community Forestry Program help communities in Connecticut access these benefits while also working toward meeting our state’s statutory goal to increase urban tree canopy cover by 2040.”
The grants ranged from under $10,000 to $20,000 for some communities. Among the 11 projects awarded funds are $21,000 for Mansfield to help hire a certified forester to inventory and develop a management plan for approximately 1,061 acres of town-owned forest across five ecologically significant parcels, officials said. Other projects include a $20,000 grant for Killingly to help support and manage invasive species after a timber harvest to ensure that native tree species are able to regenerate, maintaining a healthy and resilient forest stand.
DEEP officials said that the Trees for Communities Grant Program, a new grant offered by the agency, is now accepting applications from Connecticut governmental entities and non-profit organizations. A total of $1 million is available for grants up to $200,000 each to support urban forestry projects that increase tree cover and protect trees in low-canopy, high-need communities.
Eligible projects include, but are not limited to, tree planting and maintenance, urban forest planning, workforce development, invasive species management and forest restoration. More information can be found on DEEP’s Trees for Communities Grant Program webpage.
A complete list of grant recipients, grant amounts, and project summaries are available on DEEP’s Urban Forestry Grant Accomplishments webpage.
Stephen Underwood can be reached at sunderwood@courant.com.