Laserfiche WebLink
<br /> 76Þ <br /> Urban and Co88un1ty Forestry <br /> Challenge Grant Progra8 Guidelines <br /> 1.0 Introduction <br /> a) The Texas Forest Service in cooperation with the United States <br /> Forest Service and the Texas Urban Forestry Council, Inc. has <br /> established an urban and community forestry challenge cost-share <br /> program., Funds or other support shall be provided under such <br /> program to eligible communities and ~rganizations on a competitive . - - <br /> basis for urban forestry projects. <br /> b) The challenge grant may not exceed 50 percent of the total cost <br /> and shall be provided on a matching basis. The non-federal shares <br /> of such support may be in the form of cash, services, or in-kind <br /> contributions. <br /> 1.1 Background InTormation <br /> a) The 101st Congress of the United states, in developing the <br /> Forestry Title of the 1990 Farm Bill, found that the health of <br /> forests in urban areas and communities is on the decline; these <br /> forests, trees, and open spaces improve the quality of life for <br /> residents, enhance economic value of property and are more <br /> effective than rural trees at reducing the buildup of carbon <br /> dioxide due to the added energy savings for urban res)dents. <br /> b) Congress defined the purposes of this program to include improving <br /> the understanding of the benefits of preserving existing tree <br /> cover; encourage property owners to maintain trees and expand <br /> forest cover; provide educational and technical assistance to <br /> local organizations in maintaining and expanding forest cover; <br /> provide competitive matching grants to local units of government <br /> and other approved organizations for urban forestry projects; <br /> implement a tree planting program; promote the establishment of <br /> demonstration projects to illustrate the benefits of forest cover; <br /> and enhance technical skills of individuals involved in <br /> establishing or maintaining urban fòrests. <br /> 1.2 Regional Allocation OT Funds <br /> a) Thirteen urban forestry regions have been established in Texas, <br /> based on vegetation, population and area (see Figure 1). Funds <br /> will be targeted to regions based on population. The Texas Urban <br /> Forestry Council through its Grants Committee, will screen <br /> requests and make recommendations to the state forester as to <br /> funding priority. If there are insufficient requests of suitable <br /> quality from a given region, funds will be shifted, however, each <br /> region will have ample notice and sufficient opportunity to <br /> generate requests. <br />