Grant Funding For Urban & Community Forestry Project
Published 8/20/2025
Bloomingdale Park District Receives Grant Funding
For Urban & Community Forestry Project
Earlier this year, Bloomingdale Park District was awarded a $15,000 grant to complete a tree inventory and develop an urban forestry management plan. This competitive grant is among 30 awarded to qualifying public entities to improve the urban and community forest.
Funding was provided by the Urban and Community Forestry Programs of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and USDA Forest Service Eastern Region. This institution is an equal opportunity provider. The grant program is being administered by The Morton Arboretum’s Chicago Region Trees Initiative to provide support for communities affected by emerald ash borer infestations.
Through this 2-year matching grant, Bloomingdale Park District will acquire an updated tree inventory, a new Urban Forest Management Plan and plant 30 new trees by July 1, 2026. The district will also establish a tree preservation policy.
“This $15,000 subgrant provides funds to accelerate the Bloomingdale Park Districts efforts to establish tree management plans that will encourage healthy, diversified trees, which in turn, will increase the tree canopy in our parks and provide for the community for many years to come,” said Executive Director Joe Potts.
The grants provide communities with a better understanding of the urban forest areas they’re managing by revealing an estimated number of trees, their size, condition and species. The inventories will also identify opportunities to increase planting and will inform the development of a comprehensive, long-term urban forest management plan.
These foundational resources will support and inform management decisions and reforestation efforts to mitigate the devastating impacts of emerald ash borer, along with other pests and diseases in the future.
“Improving the distribution of trees and green spaces directly impacts the health and economic outcomes for communities,” said CRTI Director Zach Wirtz. “Projects like this improve quality of life and boost the urban tree canopy’s resilience to threats posed by environmental conditions, pests and diseases.”
Funding for this project was provided by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the USDA Forest Service, Urban and Community Forestry Program. USDA and The Morton Arboretum are equal opportunity providers and employers.