Urban and Community Forestry Grant awarded

Hennepin County was recently awarded a $10 million Urban and Community Forestry grant from the U.S. Forest Service to remove diseased trees, plant trees, educate residents, and support businesses and workforce development. The project will improve resilience to climate change, pests, storms, and extreme heat events.

This grant is part of more than $1 billion awarded to 385 projects nationwide and $33 million in Minnesota. This historic funding from the Inflation Reduction Act will support projects that increase tree cover in disadvantaged communities, as identified in the White House Council on Environmental Quality’s Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool.

County grant will remove and replace diseased trees

With the grant funding, Hennepin County forestry will help homeowners with low incomes get trees removed and replaced from their properties. County foresters will also educate residents about tree care and the benefits of trees. This funding addresses a significant need identified by community members as the emerald ash borer has swept through the county.

County foresters have heard from residents about the overwhelming financial burden of removing a diseased tree. Without help, some residents could be at risk of losing their home to tax forfeiture if the property is assessed for the removal of a tree. Many others aren’t likely to be able to afford to replace the removed tree, which furthers the disparities in the urban tree canopy.

Workforce development

To accomplish this work, the county will prioritize contracting with small and women-and-minority-owned tree removal businesses and expand county and community-based workforce development programs to employ teens and young adults to plant and maintain trees.

There will be two new workforce programs created as well as the continuation of The Forestry Productive Day program. The new programs will include an adult arborist apprenticeship program and an introductory tree maintenance program for high school aged youth. The arborist apprenticeship program will take the participants through hands on training that includes tree identification, proper pruning techniques, tree climbing, common hand tool use and safety, removal of trees and the different techniques used for removals, exposure and training on removal equipment, chainsaw use and safety, chipper use and safety, proper protective equipment use, equipment maintenance, tree planting and maintenance, common pests and pathogens, tree defects and decay fungi as well as the Minnesota Tree Inspector certification. The youth program will teach tree identification, pruning, watering, and other tree care and maintenance skills.

Forestry Productive Day is a workforce development program managed by the Hennepin County Department of Corrections. The crews are made up of individuals who may have had previous contact with corrections and have found themselves to be under employed. While in the field, Productive Day crews are trained on tree planting, watering, felling, chipping and other maintenance activities. There will be one youth crew and one adult crew working on grant activities for the duration of the grant.

Timeline and next steps

This grant will take place from 2024 through 2029.

April to September 2024

Hire a county project manager and two field staff
Issue a request for proposals (RFP) and hire tree removal contractors
Develop communications materials and outreach plan
Build a web page for engagement and online forms for resident applications
Contract with 1 to 2 community-based organizations to support outreach and engagement and hire a consultant to support communications and tracking metrics
Begin outreach and engagement
Notify and screen homeowners for tree removal and replacement
Contract with 1 or 2 green jobs providers to train youth and young adults
Launch workforce development programs and continue Productive Day programs as pilot approaches with full implementation beginning 2025

September 2024 through March 2029

Assess the first year of the project
Complete year-one reporting
Adjust the program as-needed based on assessment
Implement the program fully during spring and summer of 2025, 2026, 2027 and 2028

Learn more about the grant project at a community meeting

Learn about the grant at a hybrid community meeting. The next meeting will be from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 14 at the University of Minnesota Urban Research Center (UROC), Room 107.

Grants also awarded to cities and other entities in Hennepin County

Cities and other entities within the county that also received Urban and Community Forestry grants include: The City of Minneapolis ($8 million), The City of Richfield (nearly $500,000), Great River Greening ($10 million), and The University of Minnesota ($1.7 million).

Updates and questions

Subscribe to the grant update newsletter on this page to receive email updates as Hennepin County’s grant work progresses.

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement

In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this organization is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, and reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible State or local Agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information is also available in languages other than English.

To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all ofthe information requested in the form. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.

Hennepin County is an equal opportunity provider.

Funding provided by the Inflation Reduction Act and USDA Forest Service.