justnorth posted on February 14, 2007 06:37 :: 1885 Views
Department of Natural Resources officials today announced the award of $309,510 in grants to 30 Michigan communities and nonprofit organizations for tree planting projects. Click here for the list of grant awards.
This grant program, with funding from the USDA Forest Service, will help communities in Michigan begin replacing trees lost due to the emerald ash borer (EAB). This is the fifth cycle of grant funding awarded through this program, which began in 2004. Including this round of grants, more than 40,000 trees have been planted through this program.
"Trees play a vital role in the health and beauty of Michigan's communities", said Lynne Boyd, chief of the DNR's Forest, Mineral and Fire Management Division. "Through this grant program, along with other state, local and private tree planting initiatives, communities are able to replace trees lost to the emerald ash borer and take steps toward creating a healthy community forest through diversity."
Affected communities and nonprofit organizations throughout the state were eligible for financial and technical assistance in support of tree planting projects through this grant program. Since it was identified in the state during the summer of 2002, the EAB has killed more than 20 million ash trees in southeast Michigan, as well as parts of Ontario, Canada, northwest Ohio and northeast Indiana. Travelers are reminded to buy firewood at their destination; moving firewood can spread EAB and puts Michigan's 700 million ash trees at risk.
For more information about these grants, contact Kerry Gray, EAB Restoration Coordinator, at 517-241-1833, DNR Forest, Mineral and Fire Management, PO Box 30452, Lansing, MI 48909-7952, or visit the Web site at www.michigan.gov/dnr.
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