Description
The 2026 National Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Cost Share Grant Program aims to advance solutions to economic, health, and environmental challenges faced by communities. This year's program focuses on community tree resource utilization, which can reduce waste and create value by turning wood generated from pruning, removals, storm events, and pest or disease outbreaks into useful products. Eligible applicants include state, local, and tribal governments, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and other community-based partners. The program seeks practical, creative, and replicable projects that help communities establish or expand wood-utilization efforts.
Some key aspects of the program include:
* Funding Purpose: Advance solutions to economic, health, and environmental challenges faced by communities
* Funding Priorities: Community Tree Resource Utilization
* Program Goals and Objectives: Improve urban and community forest management, maintenance, and arboricultural practices; develop comprehensive programs, policies, and resources for enhancing community and urban forestry stewardship; promote better use of technology and tools in urban forestry
* Expected Achievements: Community wood utilization keeps trees and woody debris out of landfills, reduces disposal costs burdening municipalities and private business, and creates efficient pathways to deal with debris from severe weather events and mass removals from insect and disease outbreaks
* Required Indicators and Targets: Tons of wood diverted from waste streams, volume of wood products produced, estimated value added from products, number of individuals trained, number of industry-recognized certifications earned, number of jobs created or retained, increase in processing capacity, number of recurring buyers or customers for wood products, documented energy production or cost savings