For Release: Thursday, January 8, 2004
DEC Awards Urban Forestry Grants to Four Cities
Funding Will Help Support Urban Forest Projects in Metropolitan Areas
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Erin M. Crotty today announced that Large City Urban Forestry Grants from the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) will be awarded to four cities. DEC is awarding grants totaling $76,875 for community forestry projects or for developing comprehensive urban forestry management plans.
"By promoting diligent stewardship of our urban forests, these grants will help protect the valuable environmental resources in New York's metropolitan areas," Commissioner Crotty said. "The grants will allow cities to enhance their urban forestry programs by inventorying their trees, developing master plans, planting new trees and tending to existing trees. Through these initiatives, New Yorkers and future generations will be able to enjoy the beauty and benefits of nature where they live and work."
The Urban Forestry Grants are made possible through funding provided by the EPF. Large City grants serve to promote urban forestry through comprehensive planning, tree planting, tree maintenance and educational projects that explain the importance of planting and maintaining trees in communities.
In his 2004 State of the State Address, Governor George Pataki highlighted the value of urban forestry. The Governor announced that DEC and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) would partner with local communities to launch an urban forestry program that will plant thousands of trees in metropolitan areas across the State in order to help save energy, create habitat and improve the quality of life for New Yorkers.
Cities with populations of 65,000 or greater are eligible to apply for the EPF grants. According to the 2000 Census, eight cities in New York State met that requirement. This year's Large City projects were selected by DEC staff from six applications. Applications were rated based on criteria that included: the development or implementation of a comprehensive urban forestry plan; the degree of education, information and communication with constituencies that the project considers; the project's environmental contribution; the project's ability to strengthen community partnerships; and the extent to which the project uses proper community forestry practices. In addition to environmental and forestry components, DEC also considered how the project would contribute to environmental justice by factoring in population density, relative economic status and outreach to under-served communities.
The grants provide funding for comprehensive urban forestry planning or implementation of projects in an approved plan. Trees will be planted on public property in areas along streets in business districts, residential neighborhoods and parks. These grants often include an educational outreach component with school children and area residents for learning about tree planting, care, maintenance, and benefits.
A list of grant recipients follows:
| Name of City | Award Amount | Description |
|---|---|---|
| City of Yonkers | $20,000 | Community Tree Registry Project: an inventory and assessment of the city's forest resources to support its comprehensive forest management plan including integration of the inventory data with the city's new geographic information system (GIS) and a volunteer partnership to organize community workshops on tree planting and care. |
| City of Syracuse | $20,000 | Implementation of the Syracuse Urban Forest Master Plan including tree maintenance, re-inventorying street trees, bare root planting, and education of city residents through informational material, workshops and hands-on activities. |
| New York City | $16,875 | Development of the St. Nicholas Park Urban Forestry Management Plan. The park is located in Manhattan and the project is part of the city's overall urban forestry planning. The planning project will engage park community leaders and groups with the intent of fostering community stewardship of the park in the future. |
| City of Albany | $20,000 | To conduct a complete street tree inventory that includes collecting the following information: tree type, location, condition and identification of potential planting sites for analysis in developing an urban forest management plan. |
04-03
