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The Alabama Forestry Commission, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service announces the opening of “Trees4AL,” a match-free, tree planting grant with awards ranging from $40,000 to $100,000 for disadvantaged areas in Alabama. The grant is part of Alabama’s total allocation of $750,000 over four years from the $1.5 billion dollar investment in urban and community forestry through the Inflation Reduction Act. Those eligible to apply are local governments, non-profit organizations (charitable organizations) meeting section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, tribal entities, and educational institutions.  

The request for applications (RFA) opened on Monday, July 1 and closes on Friday, Aug. 23 at 5 pm CDT. Funds must be used in Alabama for disadvantaged communities, like most found in Lowndes, Butler and Crenshaw counties, as identified at the time of application by the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST) which may be found at https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov/en/. The RFA can be found at forestry.alabama.gov, under the “manage” tab and the “Urban Program Overview” drop down, which describes the grant information in detail. 

Projects meeting the grant criteria qualify for the matching funds waiver and awardees will be fully reimbursed for the tree planting. Indirect costs may also be included and up to 20% of the grant’s total value may be applied to administrative costs. Limited site preparation and concrete removal is allowed. This is a rare opportunity to increase an area’s tree canopy, providing shade, cleaning air and water, improving aesthetics and generating a positive economic impact at a very low cost. 

Please contact Dale Dickens, the Urban Forestry Coordinator for the Alabama Forestry Commission, at dale.dickens@forestry.alabama.gov or (334) 467-7971 with any questions or comments.