Applications for funding from Tree for Every Delawarean Initiative are now being accepted for 2025 planting projects.
When the Tree for Every Delawarean Initiative or TEDI was launched in 2021, the goal was to plant 1 million trees by 2030. So far, almost 200,000 trees have been planted.
There are three types of tree-planting projects, reforestation which involves replanting of trees lost to natural disasters, disease, pests and/or development.
There’s afforestation which establishes forests in lands previously not forested and urban plantings which take place in municipalities, subdivisions, business complexes, urban streets and parks and schools.
A total of $240,000 will be awarded in October with funding requests ranging from $10,000 to $90,000.
Beth Krumrine is Principal Planner with DNREC’s Division of Climate Coastal and Energy. She says many organizations are eligible to apply.
"501c3 state agencies, conservation districts, counties and municipalities, and public school districts as well as private K through 12 schools also colleges and universities may apply, and we have about $240,000 this year in funding to award for tree planting projects," said Krumrine.
Applications are available at the TEDI website.
Krumrine says planting trees benefits the environment in a few ways.
"Trees are very important for many reasons: air quality, soil quality and very importantly is climate change,” said Krumrine. “Trees are great at sequestering and storing carbon, and so we're really trying to emphasize getting as many trees into the ground as possible through this initiative."
If you plant a tree on your property, you can help TEDI reach its goal by entering your plantings on the TEDI Tracker on the TEDI website.
