Snowy egret fishing on a section of the Bronx River. The Bronx River Alliance (bronxriver.org) was one of the recipients of a 2020 DEC-mediated grant, which will be used for tree planting in the Bronx River floodplain. The funds come from the NY Environmental Protection Fund (EPF).

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced grant awards totaling $1.4 million for urban forestry projects across the state to help communities inventory, plant, and maintain public trees.

The 38 projects to receive funding were selected from a total of 154 applications, ranked by cost effectiveness, lasting benefits, use of partnerships, inclusion of outreach and education, and support from local stakeholders. The urban forestry grants complement DEC’s ongoing initiatives to address invasive species, climate change, environmental degradation, environmental justice, and urban sprawl. Over the last nine years, New York State has funded more than $11.4 million in grants to support projects with a total value of more than $18.3 million.

Grant recipients are listed by region.

CAPITAL REGION

Albany County

  • City of Albany – $75,000; Tree Inventory
  • City of Watervliet – $29,000; Tree Maintenance

Columbia County

  • City of Hudson – $20,000; Tree Inventory and Management Plan

Schenectady County

  • Town of Glenville – $20,000; Tree Inventory and Management Plan
  • City of Schenectady – $61,200; Tree Inventory and Management Plan

Saratoga County

  • Village of Ballston Spa – $26,555; Tree Inventory and Management Plan
  • City of Saratoga Springs – $50,000; Tree Inventory and Management Plan

CENTRAL NY

Cayuga County

  • City of Auburn – $30,000; Tree Inventory and Management Plan

Onondaga County

  • Cornell Cooperative Extension Onondaga County – $48,957; Education

FINGER LAKES

Monroe County

  • Village of Brockport – $28,609; Tree Maintenance

Wyoming County

  • Village of Attica – $40,000; Tree Maintenance

LONG ISLAND

Suffolk County

  • Village of Head of the Harbor – $50,000; Tree Inventory and Management Plan

MID-HUDSON VALLEY

Dutchess County

  • City of Beacon – $35,996; Tree Maintenance
  • Town of Pawling – $25,900; Town and Village Tree Inventory and Management Plan

Orange County

  • City of Newburgh – $40,000; Tree Maintenance
  • City of Port Jervis – $35,000; Tree Maintenance

Westchester

  • Village of Briarcliff Manor – $25,076; Tree Inventory and Management Plan
  • Village of Hastings-on-Hudson – $14,756; Tree Inventory and Management Plan
  • Village of Hastings-on-Hudson – $40,000; Tree Maintenance
  • Village of Irvington – $21,760; Tree Inventory and Management Plan
  • Town of Ossining – $33,750; Tree Maintenance
  • Village of Ossining – $38,000; Tree Planting

NEW YORK CITY

Bronx County

  • Bronx River Alliance, Inc. – $14,438; Tree Planting
  • Woodlawn Conservancy Inc. $56,250; Tree Maintenance
  • Woodlawn Conservancy Inc. $35,000; Management Plan

Kings County

  • Brooklyn Botanic Garden Corporation, Inc. – $48,660; Tree Inventory and Management Plan
  • Evergreens Cemetery Preservation Foundation – $75,000; Tree Planting
  • Prospect Park Alliance – $75,000; Tree Maintenance

NORTH COUNTRY

Franklin County

  • Village of Saranac Lake – $12,800; Tree Inventory and Management Plan
  • Village of Malone – $13,500; Tree Inventory and Management Plan

Jefferson County

  • City of Watertown – $50,000; Tree Maintenance

St. Lawrence County

  • Village of Canton – $14,000; Management Plan

WESTERN NEW YORK

Cattaraugus County

  • City of Olean – $32,750; Tree Inventory and Management Plan

Erie County

  • Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy Inc. – $75,000; Tree Maintenance
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension Erie County – $22,342; Education
  • Village of Depew – $25,617; Tree Inventory and Management Plan
  • Town of Grand Island – $50,000; Tree Inventory and Management Plan

Niagara County

  • City of North Tonawanda – $50,000; Tree Inventory and Management Plan

For more information about DEC’s Urban and Community Forestry Program, visit DEC’s website.