Overview
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service (USDA) awarded the City of Colorado Springs Forestry division a $9 million grant to plant and maintain trees, combat extreme heat, and improve access to nature. This funding will help the City improve the health and condition of the tree canopy in more than 12,000 trees in southeast Colorado Springs, contributing to the environmental quality, public health, water supply, local economy and aesthetics.
About
The Urban and Community Forest Grant aims to restore urban tree health and enhance the tree canopy in disadvantaged neighborhoods and adjacent park spaces. The City of Colorado Springs was awarded the highest dollar amount out of eight cities in the state of Colorado to receive the competitive grant.
City Forestry manages a living infrastructure of approximately 300,000 urban street trees and 20,000 park trees. This resource is a critical element of the region’s green infrastructure, contributing to environmental quality, public health, water supply, local economies and aesthetics. The City has been a Tree City USA community since 1977, longer than any other in Colorado.
The City will hire two new grant funded City foresters in the summer of 2024 that will immediately begin checking inventory and developing the scope of work for the next two to five years. Once this is complete and the contract packages are developed and secured, work will begin to enhance the urban canopy in southeast Colorado Springs. This includes planting of trees as well as pruning and enhancing the current canopy. There will also be opportunities for community members to volunteer to work with City forestry staff once these efforts begin.