These funds will be used to provide financial, technical, educational and related assistance that helps units of local government and others to plan urban forestry programs and to plant, protect,…

The Pennsylvania State University received a $1,144,942 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service's Urban and Community Forestry Program (CFDA 10.675), awarded July 9, 2025, with completion targeted for March 31, 2030. The award funds Penn State to provide financial, technical, educational, and related assistance to units of local government and other stakeholders in planning urban forestry programs and implementing management activities on municipal forest lands throughout Pennsylvania. Deliverables include planning support, tree planting and protection initiatives, forest maintenance services, and technical guidance on utilizing community wood resources to maximize social, environmental, and economic benefits.

This multi-year project emphasizes cooperative implementation of forest management priorities on municipal lands that generate direct and indirect benefits to federal forest lands and the nation's forests overall. The extended five-year performance period reflects the planning, partnership development, and seasonal nature of forestry work, as well as staffing capacity constraints that prevent completion within a single fiscal year. The award aligns with the Urban and Community Forestry Program's broader mission to support the health and expansion of urban and community forests across the nation's 140+ million acres of such lands while enhancing environmental quality, air quality, energy conservation, and community well-being.

These funds will be used to provide financial, technical, educational and related assistance that helps units of local government and others to plan urban forestry programs and to plant, protect, maintain, and utilize wood from community trees and forests to maximize social, environmental, and economic benefits. This project cooperatively sets priorities for and implements management programs on municipal forest lands that directly and indirectly benefit the health of federal forest land and the nations forests. This is a multi-year project with reoccurring annual work, as the work can't all be accomplished in a single-year due to the planning, partnership, and seasonal work required and limited staff capacity.