Project Canopy 2021 grants will support $100K in local forestry projects
Photo / Maureen Milliken
7 Lakes Alliance, in Belgrade Lakes, is one of 16 organizations and communities in 2020 that shared $100,000 in Project Canopy grants. This year's application period is open, with applications due by March 12.
Towns, cities, educational institutions and nonprofits across Maine have until March 12 to apply for grants that support forestry projects through the state's Project Canopy program.
The program helps communities plant and maintain healthy trees, which can boost the local economy as well as help mitigate climate change. There is $100,000 available, with grants ranging from $6,000 to $10,000, in the program run by the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry's Maine Forest Service.
"Project Canopy community assistance grants help communities with general maintenance planning, and they allow towns to respond to threats from invasive pests, such as the emerald ash borer," said Project Canopy Coordinator Jan Ames Santerre. "We're on a mission to sustain healthy urban and community forests because they provide a multitude of economic, environmental and social benefits."
There are two grant categories: planning, which includes wide-ranging education, including on issues like the emerald ash borer; and planting, which also includes tree maintenance.
Planning grants typically range from $6,000 to $8,000 and have a maximum award of $10,000. They require a 50% cost-share with cash or in-kind services. Planting grants have a maximum award of $8,000. The program has awarded community forestry project grants totaling more than $600,000 since 2015.
DACF Commissioner Amanda Beal said that planting and managing trees in a community provides many tangible economic and health benefits. "They can also demonstrate a positive strategy in our efforts to mitigate climate change, and at the most basic level, they make Maine's communities more beautiful," she said.
Last year's grants, awarded in June, are being used in places like Rockland, Auburn and Poland downtowns and town parks for tree planting, and in Alfred, Bangor and Cumberland for managing community forests and educational purposes.
Planning grants in 2020 were awarded to:
• 7 Lakes Alliance, Belgrade Lakes Region, $4,210
• Town of Alfred, $3,460
• City of Bangor, $7,500
• Town of Belfast, $6,000
• Town of Cumberland, $6,000
• Farmington Conservation Commission, $2,000
• Mahoosuc Land Trust, $7,525
• Southern Aroostook Soil and Water Conservation District, $1,652
• Town of Wellington, $6,500
Planting grants were awarded to:
• City of Auburn, $8,000
• Town of Freeport, $8,000
• City of Lewiston, $8,000
• Town of Pittsfield, $3,850
• Town of Poland, $4,000
• City of Rockland, $8,000
• City of Sanford, $7,200
Applicants must attend a pre-application online grant workshop on Feb. 3 to be eligible to apply for 2021 Project Canopy Assistance Grant. The workshop will cover grant writing, project development, sustainable community forestry management and grant administration.
The program is funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Community Assistance Program, which promotes natural resource management in populated areas.
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