AUGUSTA — Project Canopy, the Maine Forest Service’s community forestry program, recently awarded $116,939 in grants to local governments and municipalities, educational institutions and nonprofit organizations that support community efforts to develop and maintain long-term community forestry programs. In all, 17 awards were made for planning/education and planting/maintenance. The Project Canopy grants are funded by the U.S. Forest Service.
“These awards support community forestry programs growing trees that both enhance quality of life and that have multiple uses in the Maine economy,” Commissioner Walt Whitcomb said. “Urban forestry can also help raise awareness of professional forest practices being practiced on a larger scale throughout Maine.
According to Project Canopy Director Jan Ames Santerre, the awards were selected from a total 21 applications, seven from new communities and organizations, with grant requests totaling $155,714.
Planning grants were awarded locally to the city of Auburn in the amount of $9,000; and to the McLaughlin Foundation, Paris, for $6,000.
FMI: 207-287-4987, projectcanopy.me, maine.gov/dacf.
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