Washington Department of Natural Resources Approves Evergreen Forest Stewardship Grant

OLYMPIA – The Evergreen State College is among the 21 Washington State entities selected by the Department of Natural Resources to receive a 2022 Community Forestry Assistance Grant, administered through the Urban and Community Forestry Program.

“This grant will support the development of a campus stewardship action plan for the care and management of nearly 700 acres of undeveloped ecological reserves on the Olympia campus,” says Evergreen Director of Sustainability, Scott Morgan.

Evergreen's $17,290.00 award will fund a research position for one grad student who will collaborate with Morgan, a Stewardship Committee and the community on a vision for the college’s forested areas.

The project has three goals: develop plans for environmental preservation, maximize the forest’s value as an outdoor classroom and maintain it as a safe and accessible community recreation area. 
This is the largest Urban and Community Forestry grant funding cycle in the Department of Natural Resources’ history. The total available funds equal $550,000. Of this, $405,893 will fund tree inventories, canopy analyses, and planning projects. A second $143,425 pool will fund urban forestry policy work, tree planting and restoration, education initiatives and more.

Read more about the Urban and Community Forestry Grant in Tree Link News.