The Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Division of Forestry is funding urban forestry tree planting projects to help cities and counties, schools, and nonprofit organizations with conservation efforts. The Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program (TAEP) Community Tree Planting Program applications are now open to help increase and enhance urban and community tree populations.
“Urban and community forests provide a myriad of environmental, health, and economic benefits,” State Forester David Arnold said. “Trees are work horses for our communities, providing energy savings through shading, storm water mitigation, rain interception, and air quality improvement through filtration and absorption. Our TAEP Community Tree Planting Program assists municipalities to establish, improve, and maintain healthy urban forest resources.”
TAEP offers a cost-share program for tree planting on public property, rights-of-way, and private non-profit land with public access. Funds cover half the cost of trees and shipping, contracted planting, mulch, irrigation devices, tree labels, and signage. Grantees are required to use Tennessee-grown trees.
Grant funds can be used for planting on private property on a riparian area, which is a 35-foot transitional area between land that contains a mix of trees, shrubs, grasses and wildflowers and the edge of a river, stream, or creek bank. Although riparian tree plantings are allowed on private property, grants are not available to individual landowners.
Proposals must be submitted electronically by emailing [email protected] by 3:30 p.m. CDT on Monday, June 3, 2022.
Find more information at www.tn.gov/agriculture/forests/urban.html.
For assistance with developing a grant project, contact Diane Warwick at 865-617-8829 or [email protected].
