The Missouri Department of Conservation is taking applications for its annual cost-share grants to assist government entities and nonprofit groups with management, improvement, and conservation of trees and forests on public land.
The Tree Resource Improvement and Maintenance grants can help communities fund tree inventories, removal or pruning of hazardous trees, tree planting, and training of volunteers and city or county employees to best care for community forests.
"TRIM grant recipients focus on keeping their neighborhood trees healthy and thriving, which translates to a whole host of social, economic and environmental benefits for the community and the state," MDC Community Forestry Coordinator Russell Hinnah said in a news release.
TRIM grants are administered by the department in cooperation with the Missouri Community Forest Council. The program provides reimbursements of $1,000-$10,000 to grant recipients to fund up to 60 percent of money needed for projects. Projects located in communities with the Arbor Day Foundation's Tree City USA designation are eligible for an additional 15 percent in matching funds.
TRIM grant applicants must submit a completed application by June 5. Applications must include details on project costs and funding sources, maps and drawings of the project site, and a narrative outlining the purpose and anticipated long-term impacts of the project. Proposals are assessed on a competitive basis for their value to the community, the ability to promote, improve and develop a community's urban forest, and economic feasibility.
More information, including grant application forms, can be found at mdc.mo.gov/trim.