Community Stories

The Vermont Fruit & Nut Tree Grant focuses on increasing public access to fruit and nut trees across the state.

Join the Vermont Urban & Community Forestry Program for the 2024 Winter Webinar series. These webinars will occur three consecutive weeks in February (days and times will vary) and will cover the broad topics of: municipal tree inventory data, Biochar, and tree pests and diseases.

Trees need adequate soil volume to grow and to provide the ecological services they offer. The more soil volume the better.

We are pleased to announce just shy of $500,000 available in 2024 through three grant categories that will support a broad range of activities to support and grow urban and community forests statewide.  Applications are due January 5th, 2024. 

Vermont Forests, Parks & Recreation has made a state pledge to plant 5,000 trees in Vermont urban areas as part of the 1t.org global effort to conserve, restore, and grow one trillion trees by 2030. 

Municipal highway crews, public works staff, and parks crews are invited to learn the skills needed to guide risk trees safely to the ground using ropes and throw lines. Arborist Adam McCullough leads three day-long and hands-on trainings in Montpelier, Rutland, and St. Albans Town to share this effective and low-cost method to increase safety for all staff actively working with trees.

VT UCF will be offering three grant categories in 2024. Request for Proposals will be released, along with all grant details, by late summer and the proposal deadline will be in January.

Announcing an employment opportunity: The Vermont Urban & Community Forestry Program will hire one skilled urban forester dedicated to supporting tree planting, care, and stewardship in communities across the state.  

On June 1, 2023, the LGBTQIA2S+ Allies of Windsor in partnership with the Vermont Urban and Community Forestry Program and the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, dedicated a flowering cherry planted at the Old Constitution House State Historic Site as a “LGBTQ+ Pride Tree”

The USDA Forest Service released a Notice of Funding Opportunity earlier this month for $1 billion available in Urban and Community Forestry Grants nationwide. Proposals are due June 1st for 5-year projects and local governments and non-profit organizations are eligible to apply. 

We are looking for applicants to fill an ECO AmeriCorps role, focused on education, outreach, and building our network of wonderful volunteers who work on invasive forest insects.

We are pleased to announce the 16 recipients of over $110,000 in grant funding for the 2023 year.  

This article begins a new and recurring segment in which program staff share learning, events and program highlights related to tree equity.

You asked and we listened! The Vermont Tree Wardens now have a listserv to share ideas, questions, and examples.

Save the date: May 19, 2023 for the Vermont Arbor Day Conference!

University of Vermont senior forestry major Max Hertz will spend part of his final semester highlighting ash tree management in some of Vermont's municipalities and planting trees in downtown communities.

2022 saw an unprecedented investment in urban and community forestry. State programs, communities, and organizations will have access to funding and opportunities in the coming months and now is the time to plan, prepare, and dream big.

The 2022 Vermont Fruit & Nut Tree Grant Program supported the purchase and successful planting and care of trees and shrubs for 20 grantee groups at 54 community growing sites across the state of Vermont.

Our summer intern, Julia, reflects on her time with the UCF program, in Vermont communities, and learning about urban and community forestry throughout the state.