By Nicolle Spafford, DNR Urban Forestry Grant Manager; Nicolle.Spafford@wisconsin.gov or 715-896-7099

APPLICATIONS DUE OCT. 10

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced it is now accepting applications for Wisconsin Urban Forestry Catastrophic Storm Grants.  Please note: The Urban Forestry Catastrophic Storm Grant CANNOT cover damage caused by water saturation due to flooding.

This round of grant funding became available through Executive Order #272, signed by Gov. Tony Evers on Aug. 11, 2025 declaring a state of emergency for the date of Aug. 9, 2025 due to recent severe weather across Wisconsin.

Following the governor’s declaration, the DNR’s Urban Forestry Catastrophic Storm Grant Program is now accepting applications statewide from eligible applicants, including Wisconsin municipalities, counties, tribal governments and 501(c)(3) organizations. Grants range from $4,000 to $50,000 and do not require a dollar-for-dollar match.

Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025.

The DNR’s Urban Forestry Catastrophic Storm Grant program funds tree repair, removal or replacement within urban areas following a catastrophic storm event for which the governor has declared a state of emergency under s. 323.10, Wis. Stats.

A catastrophic storm is defined in s. NR 47.952 (2), Wis. Admin. Code, as damage to urban forests caused by snow, ice, hail, wind or tornado. Catastrophic storms do not include insect infestation or disease, forest fire, drought or water saturation due to flooding. Urban forest damage must have occurred in an area with a minimum of 100 residents per square mile. Residential density is determined from statistics provided by the Wisconsin Demographic Service Center according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

For more information and to apply, visit the DNR’s Urban Forestry Catastrophic Grants webpage.

For additional storm-damaged tree care resources, visit the DNR’s Tree Learning Center webpage.