City of Galesburg issued the following announcement on Oct. 31.
The Morton Arboretum’s Community Trees Program has awarded the City of Galesburg a $15,000 federal forestry grant, which will help Galesburg complete a tree inventory of all City owned trees.
The Arboretum awarded more than $170,000 in federal forestry grants to Illinois communities looking to fund tree-related projects. The program aims to help municipalities, park districts, townships, counties, and other local government entities fund projects such as tree planting, obtaining a tree inventory, and developing or updating a tree protection and preservation ordinance or a tree management plan. The federal grants are administered by the Arboretum on behalf of the U.S. Forest Service Department of Agriculture’s Urban and Community Forestry Program, in partnership with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
Trees are a critical asset to communities, serving many valuable roles including producing oxygen, absorbing rainwater to reduce the threat of floods and offering shelter for local wildlife. They also add beauty, shade and character to neighborhoods.
"This grant from the Morton Arboretum and the U.S. Forest Service Department will allow the City to update our tree inventory," Tony Oligney-Estill, Director of Parks and Recreation said. "By having an updated tree inventory, staff will be better able to identify the areas of the city that is lacking trees, what kind of trees we need to plant to make sure we have a diverse species of trees and know the health of the trees at all times."
Beth Corrigan, Community Trees Program specialist with The Morton Arboretum, is pleased the grants will enable communities to move forward with their urban forestry plans.
"Trees are an important part of our region’s green infrastructure," Corrigan said. "Communities are the key to creating a greener, healthier world."
About the Community Trees Program at The Morton Arboretum
The Community Trees Program at The Morton Arboretum was established in 2002 with support from the Grace Bersted Foundation. The program’s goal is to help people help trees live long, productive lives, based on the philosophy that all trees, on both public and private land, together form an urban and community forest that is crucial to a community’s infrastructure.
About the Morton Arboretum
The Morton Arboretum is an internationally recognized outdoor tree museum and tree research center located in Lisle, Illinois. As the champion of trees, the Arboretum is committed to scientifically-informed action, both locally and globally, and encouraging the planting and conservation of trees for a greener, healthier, and more beautiful world. On 1,700 acres are 222,000 plant specimens representing 4,500 different kinds of plants, along with specialty gardens, educational exhibits, the award-winning Children’s Garden, 16 miles of hiking trails and the Visitor Center, featuring The Arboretum Store and the Ginkgo Restaurant and Café. The Morton Arboretum is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization, welcoming 1.1 million visitors annually and serving 46,200 member households in 2017. Learn more at mortonarb.org.
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