Project Canopy Grant Workshop Scheduled

Project Canopy Assistance Grants are available to state, county, and municipal governments, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations for developing and implementing community forestry projects and programs. Project Canopy, delivered to you by the Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry’s Maine Forest Service, anticipates that $125,000 will be available to support community forestry projects in the following categories:

Planning and Education

$10,000 maximum award

Projects support sustainable community forestry management, and efforts to increase awareness of the benefits of trees and forests.

Specialized funding is available for inventory and planning for street and shade trees, with emphasis on planning and management in preparation for invasive pests such as the emerald ash borer.

Planting and Maintenance

$8,000 maximum award

Projects increase the health and livability of communities through sound tree planting and maintenance.

To be eligible to apply for 2017 Project Canopy Assistance grants, all applicants must attend a grant workshop prior to submitting an application (excluding previous workshop attendees).  One grant workshop is scheduled for December 16, 2016 at 10 AM. The workshop will be held via internet webcast, and will cover topics including grant writing, project development, sustainable community forestry management, and grant administration. Please contact Jan Santerre to register

Grant applications will be due to the Maine forest Service at 5:00 pm on Wednesday, January 18, 2017. All grants require a 50% match from the grant recipient in cash or in-kind services.

Project Canopy is funded by the USDA Forest Service Community Forestry Assistance Program. The USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program was authorized by the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 (PL95-313) and revised by the 1990 Farm Bill (PL101-624) to promote natural resource management in populated areas and improve quality of life.

For complete grant application and workshop information, please visit the Project Canopy website at http://www.projectcanopy.me/grants. You can also learn more about the Project Canopy assistance program by contacting Jan Ames Santerre by phone at 207-287-4987 or by email at jan.santerre@maine.gov.

In all its programs and activities, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status.     (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Those with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202)720-2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202)720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Community Forestry Grants Announced

AUGUSTA, Maine - Project Canopy, the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry's (DACF) community forestry program, recently awarded $133,000 in grants to local governments and municipalities, educational institutions and non-profit organizations that support community efforts to develop and maintain long-term community forestry programs. Funded by the U.S. Forest Service, the Project Canopy grants are administered by the DACF's Maine Forest Service and available in two categories: planning and education grants and tree planting and maintenance grants. "The total economic impact of the horticulture industry in Maine is $286 million annually, and the industry supports 7,826 jobs," said Governor Paul R. LePage. "These forestry projects support many of these jobs by benefiting local landscapers, nurseries, foresters and loggers."

"In additional to their economic impact, the 19 Project Canopy grants announced today will also

Maine Forest Service: Project Canopy Offers Community Forestry Grants

Augusta, Maine - Project Canopy, the Maine Forest Service's community forestry program, will award $100,000 in grants to local governments and municipalities, educational institutions and non-profit organizations that support community efforts to develop and maintain long-term community forestry programs.

Project Canopy, a cooperative partnership between the Maine Forest Service, under the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, and GrowSmart Maine, a statewide organization, encourages communities to develop project proposals that support sustainable community-forestry management, increase awareness of the benefits of trees and forests, and increase the health and livability of communities through sound tree planting and maintenance, Jan Ames Santerre, Project Canopy coordinator, said.

Funded by the U.S. Forest Service, the Project Canopy grants are available in two categories: planning and education grants; and tree planting and maintenance grants. About $20,000 in grant funds also is available specifically for projects in the Presumpscot watershed, Santerre said.

"These grants not only support significant community forestry projects, but they also support and create jobs throughout the state in the green industry, including nurseries, landscapers, foresters and loggers," Santerre said. The total economic impact of the horticulture industry in Maine is $286 million annually, and the industry supports 7,826 jobs.

Since 2003, Project Canopy has awarded more than $1.2 million in funding for community forestry projects. The average grants range from $6,000 to $8,000 and require a 50-percent cost-share with cash or in-kind services, the program director said.

One project of note is the $7,940 grant awarded to the town of Monson in Piscataquis County, Santerre said.

"New shade and ornamental trees will complement other downtown improvements to make the main street more pedestrian friendly, increase safety through traffic calming, and enhance the business district by making it more attractive to shoppers, businesses, and residents alike," the project coordinator said.

"Tree-lined streets are good for business and the environment and can help foster a sense of community pride," she noted.

The planning and education grants have a maximum award of $10,000, while the planting and maintenance grants have a maximum award of $8,000. To be eligible to apply for a 2012 assistance grant, all applicants must attend a grant workshop before submitting an application. Grant workshops will be scheduled this month at various locations around the state. The workshops will cover such topics as grant writing, project development, sustainable community forestry management and grant administration.

Grant applications are due at the Maine Forest Service by 5 p.m., Monday, Oct. 22.

The Presumpscot Watershed Project grants require the same workshop and application process, Santerre said. Organizations interested in learning more should contact Project Canopy specifically about those grants.

"The Presumpscot Watershed Project grants are the same projects only slightly different in that they focus on the value of trees and forests in providing clean water for the Presumpscot River and Sebago Lake," Santerre said.

To learn more about the Project Canopy Assistance program and to sign up for a grant workshop in your area, contact Project Canopy at (207) 287-4987.

More information is available on the web at http://projectcanopy.maine.gov.

2012 Arbor Week Celebration and Awards Ceremony

2012 Arbor Week Celebration and Awards Ceremony


Portland, Maine - Project Canopy, which is the Maine Forest Service’s urban forestry program, under the Maine Department of Conservation (MDOC), will hold its annual Arbor Week Celebration and Awards Ceremony next week.

As part of the celebration, MDOC Commissioner Bill Beardsley will present the 2012 Frank Knight Community Forestry Excellence Award to Robert and Beverly Dutton, of Dutton’s Nursery, Morrill, who last year donated more than 1,000 trees to Maine schools, municipalities and non-profit community organizations.

Recognition of the 22 Maine schools that have received the Maine Arbor Week School Planting Grants also will be made.

In addition, the 2011 Tree City USA Awards will be presented.

The celebration will include the pupils from the Longfellow Elementary School in Portland, which received one of the planting grants.

Directions:

From the north:
• Take I-295 south toward Brunswick;
• Take exit 6B from U.S. 302/Maine 100/Forest Ave.
• Turn right onto Forest Avenue;
• Turn Left onto Woodford Street;
• Turn right onto Stevens Avenue;
• Longfellow School is on the left.

From the south:
• Take I-295 north and follow the same directions for traveling north.

WHAT: 2012 Arbor Week Celebration and Awards Ceremony;

WHEN: 1 p.m.  Reception, with performances by Longfellow Elementary School pupils, light refreshments; 1:30 p.m. Ceremony; Tuesday, May 22;

WHERE:  Longfellow Elementary School, Portland.