Shade Tree commissioners pursue $4.75 million USDA forestry grant to plant trees in industrial park

Shade Tree Commission says it applied for a 2025 USDA forestry grant aimed at lining streets in the industrial park with new trees, a project the commission said would reduce heat-island effects and improve conditions for workers. The grant, described in the meeting as $4,748,000, would fund planting mostly in city right-of-way; the commission said private-property plantings would require different arrangements. Commission members said the city has about a 19% tree canopy and that planting in the industrial park could produce outsized benefits because the park is roughly one-tenth of the city's land area. "We only have a 19% canopy," a staff member said during the discussion. The presenter added the application was scaled back this year after a larger prior request was not considered. Under the proposal the commission said it asked for roughly 125 street trees targeting available planting strips; those trees would be planted, watered and maintained under the city's standard planting practices because they would be on city right-of-way. The commission emphasized it will not place trees on private property under this award without separate agreements with private property owners. Commission members discussed follow-up outreach to industrial property owners in later years to expand canopy on private lots; they noted that private-property plantings would require partnerships or incentives beyond the USDA grant. One commissioner suggested approaching private industrial partners after initial public-right-of-way plantings are complete. Members also discussed a separate outreach idea to International Paper to support replacing invasive Bradford pear trees on private property. The commission described a program used in another Indiana community in which homeowners remove invasive trees and receive a replacement tree through a sponsor's grant; the commission said it planned to propose a similar pilot to International Paper but did not have a commitment from the company. Timing and award notices for the USDA grant were not specified during the meeting. A staff member told commissioners the grantor did not post an award schedule; commissioners said they would scale the work to match award levels if any funding is received. Questions and next steps included: finalize the application filing (one commissioner said a team member would file the application the following morning), prepare a planting list for right-of-way sites, and plan outreach to industrial property owners for possible future private-property plantings. If the grant is awarded, the commission said it would follow the city's planting, watering and first-year maintenance procedures for all publicly planted trees.