2026 Protect Community Forests for Community Resiliency Grant

Are Applicants able to request both operational volunteering planting assistance through Tree Trust and educational assistance through the University of Minnesota’s Tree Steward program?

Yes! Both operational and educational assistance can be requested.

Another component of the University of Minnesota’ Tree Steward Training program is that volunteers are required to complete at least 10 hours of volunteerism or attend three pruning events each year to keep their tree steward certification current. Do volunteer Tree Stewards also need to submit this information to the DNR as part of the grant?

You will not need to provide this information both to the U of M and to us. It will be reported to the U of M as is standard practice, and they will then be able to forward that information on to us.

To my knowledge, there is a minimum number of residents that must be committed to receiving Tree Steward training before the University of Minnesota will agree to provide training to community members. I am assuming that this requirement is still true if we request to receive educational assistance through this program as part of the Protecting Community Forests Grant?

If you are selected to receive educational assistance, there will be no minimum number of residents required to participate. Ultimately, we want the U of M to use their funds wisely and if you only have one or two people signed up they would likely work with you to do some more recruitment, or combine regional trainings. If in the end you only get one or two individuals to participate, they will still provide the program to you.

Would receiving operational assistance through Tree Trust as described in the grant be different than hiring tree trust to provide services as contractor?

Yes, receiving assistance through Tree Trust is different than hiring Tree Trust to provide services as a contractor. The Landscape Services side of Tree Trust is their earned income division, which provides tree and lawn care services.

Would any work done by a contractor be considered technical assistance? The RFA states that cities “will not have to budget (pay) for technical assistance” if we want to receive operational assistance through Tree Trust in partnership with the conservation corps or education assistance from the University of Minnesota to train community members to become tree stewards. From my understanding, there are typically costs associated with receiving assistance through either of these organizations. Do recipients of the grant automatically get these costs waived due to a partnership with the DNR or would communities be reimbursed through the grant for any costs associated with assistance provided by either of these organizations?

While you could consider work done by a contractor to be assistance, per se, the separate ‘technical assistance’ component of this grant program is limited to Tree Trust and/or the University of Minnesota’s Tree Steward program. These organizations were included in our original application for funding for this overall program, and so we have budgeted separate amounts above and beyond what we will grant out to local units of government. These separate amounts of funding will allow Tree Trust and the Tree Steward program to do work with grantees who request their assistance, with funds going straight to Tree Trust and/or the University of Minnesota. As mentioned in the Request for Applications, if you are applying for assistance with tree planting, you will still need to budget for the purchase of trees. Costs for the assistance itself, however, will not need to be budgeted for by grantees.

Eligible activities

For this grant, are we required to include removals and replacements, or is it possible to use funds solely for new tree plantings for diversity?

It is possible to use funds solely for tree planting. You can select “Tree Planting for Diversity” as your sole proposed project component within the Qualtrics Survey.

As an SWCD, we want to partner with another local unit of government and/or organization, is this possible?

Yes, you can partner with other organizations for your proposed project. You must submit a letter of support from the organization you plan to partner with. A letter of support from any identified partner organization(s) should acknowledge and agree to the specific role(s) and activities attributed to the partner organization in the grant application.

The list of eligible activities explicitly mentions work on residential land for low-income residents only in bullet #1. Are any of the other activities in the list also possible for low-income residential residents to participate or have related work completed? (Specifically removing and replacing ash/high risk trees, planting trees for diversity, chemical treatment, and pruning)

Community forestry work on residential lands for low-income residents can include any combination of the other eligible activities listed on the website and in the Request for Applications. For example, tree planting, tree removals and replanting, and pruning. All activities on residential land must be conducted by companies or organizations with an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist on staff, Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA) accreditation, or equivalent qualification.

Eligible applicants

Are SWCDs (Soil and Water Conservation Districts) eligible to apply for this grant opportunity?

Yes, SWCDs are considered local units of government and are eligible to apply for funding under this grant. A full list of eligible applicants can be found further up on this webpage and in the Request for Applications (RFA).

I own five acres and am interested in the community grant for tree planting. We are working with a local nonprofit with the community garden program on site. I'd like to apply for this grant, but would like to know if we qualify.

Eligible applicants for this grant include nonprofit organizations with a 501(c) status. Applications from individual residents will not be considered. Community forestry work must be conducted on non-State public land, or on residential land for low-income residents. A full list of eligible applicants and activities can be found further up on this webpage and in the Request for Applications (RFA).

Are HOAs eligible for funding?

Eligible applicants for this grant include nonprofit organizations with 501(c) status. If your HOA has 501(c) status, then you would be eligible to apply.

If we currently have an open grant with your program (e.g., ReLeaf, Community Tree Planting, etc.), do we still qualify for this one?

Yes! Any eligible applicants may apply for this funding opportunity. This includes communities and organizations that have an open grant with our program.

We have some dead ash on our property, are we eligible to apply?

We do not provide funding directly to individual residents for tree removal or care, but residents should reach out to their community leaders to apply for funding, as communities can create programs that assist residents with the removal and replanting of trees.

Application

Where can the Residential Tree Care Requirements be viewed?

The Residential Tree Care Requirements are detailed in the 2026 Protect Request for Applications, which will be available on August 3rd.

I have not applied to a MN DNR Urban & Community Forestry Grant before, what will the application look like.

The application and application details will be available on this webpage on August 3rd. The required information will look similar to, but not exactly the same as, our previous grants.