Caring for Canopy Grant Recipients

Caring for Canopy Grants act as seed funding to help communities care for their publicly managed trees and forests by taking actions to develop and sustain a community-wide tree program. We are pleased to announce 11 recipients will receive funding (up to $5000) to enhance, manage and care for their community trees. The grant recipients, and a brief description of their funded project and objectives for 2020, are listed below.  

Town of Barre will establish a city tree nursery.

Town of Bristol will conduct a public ash tree inventory and create emerald ash borer strategic management plan.

Town of Cavendish will prune mature oaks in the town center to elevate the canopy from the ground.

Town of Hardwick will prune and rejuvenate downtown trees and create a tree stewardship volunteer group.

Town of Johnson will establish the Johnson Arboretum.

Town of Middlebury will assess pruning needs of city trees and establish a regular pruning cycle.

City of Rutland will restore tree canopy in areas where pre-emptive removal of ash trees has been conducted.

Town of Waterbury will continue a strategic street tree planting campaign.

Town of West Rutland will add trees to the town's streetscape and community gateway.

City of Winooski will strategically plant trees, prune trees, and hold an Arbor Day celebration. 

Winooski Natural Resource Conservation District will complete ash inventories within town rural right-of-ways and draft EAB response plans for 3 communities.

Emerald Ash Borer Management Grant Recipients

With special funds from the US Forest Service, Vermont was selected as one of only three northeastern states to work with target municipalities to implement emerald ash borer (EAB) management within the public right-of-way along rural roadsides. This funding is intended for municipalities that are currently within the EAB Infested Area and are prepared to remove public ash trees threatened by EAB and to plant new trees of different species to offset the loss of the ash trees. 

Town of East Montpelier will implement the Draft East Montpelier Ash Tree Management Plan with a pilot project entailing the removal of ash trees along select roads and locations, as well as replacing landscape ash trees on the U-32 school campus with new species.

Town of Essex & Village of Essex Junction will jointly work together to begin planting planned ash replacements in urban/suburban areas while strategically removing ash along high-density rural roads.

Town of Northfield will remove existing hazard and ash trees in poor condition along rural roads, plant new public trees, and engage the community to embark on good monitoring and management practices.