Press Releases
04/26/2024
DEEP Celebrates Arbor Day in Communities Across Connecticut
(HARTFORD) — The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) joins communities across the state on April 26th and throughout the month of April to celebrate Arbor Day.
The DEEP Forestry Division is celebrating Arbor Day with communities across Connecticut and invites you to join as well. Events celebrating Arbor Day took place around the state today. Many of the cities celebrating Arbor Day are doing so as part of the Tree City Program through the Arbor Day Foundation. This national program recognizes cities across the United States for their dedication to growing, protecting, and maintaining their urban and community forests. Connecticut boasts 19 Tree Cities, 4 Tree Campuses, and 4 Tree City Growth Awards for 2023. This includes Fairfield and Stamford, which are tied for first place as the longest standing Tree Cities in the state at 36 years!
“Trees are a critically important part of our ecosystem, playing a vital role in cleaning our air and water, and providing wildlife habitat,” DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said. “Trees are also critically important in our fight against climate change, as healthy trees pull carbon out of our atmosphere, help to slow storm surge and flooding, and can also help to cool our urban communities by up to 10 degrees. Ensuring equitable tree cover across our state is a priority of the Lamont Administration, and DEEP’s Urban and Community Forestry Program has been hard at work administering tree-planting grants to help our communities improve their tree cover.”
Connecticut is the 14th most forested state in the nation and has the highest urban forest cover in the nation. Trees provide key benefits to Connecticut residents ranging from heat and pollution mitigation to increased stormwater absorption and carbon storage.
DEEP recently concluded an application period for $2 million that will be awarded through 2028 through the Urban Forest Equity Grant Program. The program, funded by the federal Inflation Reduction Act and administered by the U.S. Forest Service, was made available to state and local government entities, federally recognized tribes, and non-profit organizations. It attracted close to $4 million in urban forestry project requests in this first round.
In an effort to increase access to trees and the many benefits that they provide, DEEP’s Urban and Community Forestry Program provides assistance to communities to grow, maintain, and improve their urban and community forests. From 2021-2023 in partnership with the CT Urban Forest Council and University of Connecticut, DEEP sub-awarded $585,000 to municipalities and non-profit organizations groups across the state resulting in some of the key benefits illustrated in the image below:
Outcomes from Urban Forestry Grants awarded from 2021-2023 through 30 sub-grants awarded in 19 municipalities in Connecticut. Sub-grants were supported by funding from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
More information on Tree City Program and Arbor Day events can be found here. More information on DEEP’s Urban and Community Forestry Program and sub-grant programs can be found here. Reach out to DEEP.UCF.Grants@ct.gov for questions and more information.
According to the Arbor Day Foundation, Arbor Day is a day for people to come together in recognition of the wonders of trees. Communities, schools, businesses, and individuals alike join together to plant commemorative trees, hand out free trees, provide education on tree planting and care, and celebrate all the benefits trees provide. National Arbor Day is always celebrated on the last Friday in April, but many states observe Arbor Day on different dates throughout the year based on best tree planting times in their area.- Twitter: @CTDEEPNews
- Facebook: DEEP on Facebook
Contact
DEEP Communications
DEEP.communications@ct.gov
860-424-3110