MDC holds workshop in St. Louis area to help non-profits apply for tree-care grants

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News from the region
Saint Louis
Published Date
04/15/2013
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Kirkwood, Mo.—The TRIM-grant grant program administered by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) offers funding to assist government agencies, public schools and non-profit groups with the management, improvement and conservation of trees and forests on public land. The Tree Resource Improvement and Maintenance (TRIM) cost-share grants can help communities fund tree inventories, removal or pruning of hazardous trees, tree planting and the training of volunteers and city/county employees to best care for community forests.

To assist potential grant applicants in the St. Louis area, MDC will hold a TRIM-grant workshop at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center Wednesday, May 1, at 6 p.m. The workshop is free but registration is required. Contact MDC Urban Forester Mark Grueber at 314-301-1506, ext. 4210, or Mark.Grueber@mdc.mo.gov.

The nature center is located in Kirkwood at 11715 Cragwold Road, near the intersections of I-270 and I-44.

TRIM grants are administered by MDC in cooperation with the Missouri Community Forest Council. The program provides reimbursements of $1,000 to $10,000 to grant recipients to fund up to 60 percent of money needed for projects. Projects located in communities with The Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree City USA designation are eligible for an additional 10 percent in matching funds.

Proposals are assessed on a competitive basis for their value to the community, thoroughness as a tree-management program, the ability to promote, improve and develop a community's urban forest, and economic feasibility.

TRIM applicants must submit a completed application by June 1 that details project costs and funding sources, maps and drawings of the project site, a three-year maintenance plan for the project and a letter of approval from the governmental body owning the proposed project site.

For more information on TRIM grants, including grant application and workbook, visit mdc.mo.gov.