Financial help

Video to help understand urban forestry grant reimbursement

The Urban Forestry grant reimbursement process can be challenging. All the time and energy that goes into creating a successful project can also create a lot of paperwork, and it is not an easy task to keep everything organized. A new video has been created to help grant recipients navigate this aspect of the reimbursement process and avoid some of the most common mistakes that we see on our grant reimbursement forms. The video covers topics such as documenting cash expenditures, using correct equipment rates, and contacting DNR staff. It is approximately eleven minutes long and can be accessed from the Urban Forestry Grants webpage. Continue reading “Video to help understand urban forestry grant reimbursement”

2019 Urban Forestry grants now open!

A reminder that the application for the 2019 Urban Forestry Grants is open! Cities, villages, towns, counties, tribes and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in or conducting their project in Wisconsin are encouraged to apply for a regular or startup 2019 Department of Natural Resources Urban Forestry Grant! The grants range from $1,000 to $25,000, and grant recipients must match each grant dollar for dollar. A startup grant of up to $5,000 is available for communities that want to start or restart a community forestry program. Grants are awarded to projects that align with state and national goals for increasing the urban forest canopy and the benefits it provides.

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Bay-Lake RPC announces the award of 18 tree planting grants

Four Wisconsin regional planning commissions (RPC), Bay-Lake RPC, East Central Wisconsin RPC, Northwest Wisconsin RPC, and Southeastern Wisconsin RPC, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) have jointly awarded a total $122,200 to communities under their 2018 Wisconsin RPCs and DNR Great Lakes Basin Tree Planting Grant Program. The DNR marketed the grant opportunity, provided process guidance and assistance ranking the grants. Eighteen Wisconsin communities will receive funds for projects to reduce runoff and mitigate the impacts of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). Continue reading “Bay-Lake RPC announces the award of 18 tree planting grants”

New funding opportunity with American Transmission Company

American Transmission Co (ATC) has new program that provide funding for the purchase of seeds, plugs or plants that are low-growing perennials that can be planted within a transmission line right-of-way. This program in conjunctions with the ATC’s existing Community Planting Program will help create greener communities. Learn more about both programs through the press release from ATC.

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Urban Forestry Grants application and guidance open for review

By Alex Elias, Urban Forestry Grants Manager
Updated guidance for the Urban Forestry Grants program has been posted for public input and will be available for a 21-day comment period. Guidance is available for both internal and external review from Tuesday, May 15, 2018 through Monday, June 4, 2018 on the proposed program guidance open for public comment website. Continue reading “Urban Forestry Grants application and guidance open for review”

Urban Forestry awards second round of grants

The DNR Urban Forestry Grant program awarded $64,641.14 to four Wisconsin communities for urban forestry projects, during our 2018 second round funding. In order to ensure a pool of catastrophic storm funds throughout the year, we have switched to awarding grants in two rounds instead of awarding all of our funds in December. The communities who received grants in the spring include Beaver Dam, Grafton, North Central Wisconsin Master Gardeners Association, and Slinger. Continue reading “Urban Forestry awards second round of grants”

Building a Community Ecology Project

Contents of this article are shared for informational purposes only. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources does not endorse and makes no representations, expressed, inferred or implied, concerning these organizations, programs or services.

By Paul Fliss, City Forester, City of New Berlin, WI

The City of New Berlin applied for a National Fish and Wildlife Federation (NFWF) Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant in 2017. The proposed project will cover 9.59 acres and encompass the length of Deer Creek and the wetlands to the south and east of the City Center Business District. Common to this area are several species of resident birds, migratory songbirds, owls and waterfowl. Recent history has revealed an abundance of whitetail deer and smaller animals such as muskrats, raccoon, opossum, skunks, various mice/voles and even evidence of a beaver. The habitat for these species is that of an urban to rural interface and wetland transition ecology. The current state of the defined proposal areas vary between ‘poor’ with construction debris, litter and heavily infested invasive species to ‘fair’ with few invasive species and nearly undisturbed lowland habitat, native trees and wetlands plants. Continue reading “Building a Community Ecology Project”