Urban and Community Forestry Program
Urban trees and forests offer many benefits to our communities, from mental health and recreation, to economic benefits such as reducing cooling costs and creating jobs, to environmental services, such as capturing air pollution, reducing stormwater runoff and sound pollution, and providing habitat for wildlife, among many more.
The Urban and Community Forestry Program recognizes the importance of urban trees and urban forests for the health of our cities and our well-being. Our program aims to help ALL communities create urban and community forests that are diverse, healthy, and accessible for ALL citizens.
In the US Caribbean Region, our program works through our local government partners: the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources.and the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture
Get Involved
Urban forestry involves all of us. The Urban and Community Forestry Program is designed to work in collaboration with partners and communities to deliver projects and disseminate information that improve the health, condition and size of our urban forests and trees to maximize their benefits and thus improve all our lives
Learn about our Cost Share Program Grants to finance urban forestry projects, and how you can get involved through your local Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council.
Also make sure to check out our tools and resources to learn more about urban forestry in the US Caribbean, assess your neighborhood and create tree inventories, start planning where to plant new trees, learn which species to plant in our urban spaces, and more!
Cost Share Program
Through our local government partners, the Urban and Community Forestry Program provides competitive matching (1:1) grants for urban forestry projects, such as:
- tree planting events in public land (non-federal) or private land as long as there is a clear public benefit. All planting projects require an endorsement letter from the landowner(s) to ensure continuity of the investment.
- tree inventories,
- tree maintenance projects in open spaces, greenbelts, roadside screens, parks, woodlands, shelterbelts, food forests and urban agriculture areas,
- conservation education activities or training with a focus on urban trees and urban forests,
- demonstration projects for public education about the benefit of urban trees,
- publications and outreach materials that help educate the public about the benefits of urban trees and forests, care and maintenance of urban trees, urban tree health, among others.
The Cost Share Program Grants are available for local units of government, schools, universities and non-profit organizations. Communities that are not registered as non-profit organizations are encouraged to partner with non-profit organizations, municipal government, or educational institutions to submit proposals for their neighborhoods.
Please contact your local program coordinator for additional information and to learn about the next call for proposals.
For more information about the Urban and Community Forest Program please contact:
U.S. Caribbean Region Urban and Community Forestry Federal Program Manager: Maya Quiñones
Puerto Rico Urban and Community Forestry Program Coordinator: Astrid Green
U.S. Virgin Islands Urban and Community Forestry Program Coordinator: Akil Andrews
State, Private and Tribal Forestry U.S. Caribbean Program Manager: Magaly Figueroa