By Nicolle Spafford, DNR Urban Forestry Grant Manager
Nicolle.Spafford@wisconsin.gov or 715-896-7099
Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR
As of July 1, 2026, cities, villages, towns, counties, tribes and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in – or conducting their projects in – Wisconsin can apply for a regular or startup 2027 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Urban Forestry grant.
Regular Urban Forestry grants range from $1,000 to $25,000 and grant recipients must match each grant dollar for dollar. These grants fund projects that improve a community’s capacity to manage its trees (e.g., management plans, ordinances, staff training, tree board development, inventories and public education) and projects that help conserve, protect, expand or improve the urban forest resource (e.g., planting, hazard tree removal, pest control). Continue reading “2027 Urban Forestry Grants Now Open”
Join the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Wisconsin Arborist Association (WAA) for the 2026 Wisconsin Annual Urban Forestry Conference. The conference will be held from Feb. 15 to 17 at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay. 
*These training opportunities are provided as an information service only and do not constitute an endorsement from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
*These training opportunities are provided as an information service only and do not constitute an endorsement from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Do you know of a person or organization that is making a difference in community forestry? Maybe it is a volunteer who spends their free time planting trees in the community or an organization that is committed to increasing tree diversity or a municipal employee who has dedicated their career to transforming a city’s urban forestry program. If so, please complete this short 
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. These grants do not subsidize routine forestry activities. In total, $559,680 is currently available in regular and startup grant funding for 2026.