Kingston says USDA grant suspension lifted; city submits reforestation core grant application

Brent Pepper, the city’s urban forester, told the Kingston Tree Commission on March 11 that an earlier suspension of activities under a USDA Forest Service grant has been lifted and work may resume.

The statement followed about a month of uncertainty after the grant administrator informed awardees of a temporary pause in reimbursements, Pepper said, and he advised the commission the pause “is lifted.” He warned, however, that the interruption has created anxiety among grantees and could still affect spring planting schedules if contractors cannot be hired in time.

The suspended grant funds support the city’s urban forestry program, including Pepper’s position. Pepper said he hopes to keep planned spring plantings on track but that the work may move to the fall if services cannot be contracted in time. “I’m gonna try to get that back on track for spring,” Pepper said.

Separately, Pepper said Kingston submitted an application this week for a Community Reforestation (CORE) grant intended to fund invasive species removal, competing-vegetation management and replanting across five public sites: Forsyth Park, Hasbroke Park, the Kingston Greenline Trail near the Kingston Land Trust food-forest site, the Route 9W ball fields (Kingman Park), and Kingston Point. Pepper described the CORE grant as focused on reforestation in publicly accessible parkland and said the application deadline was the day after the commission meeting; applicants expected announcements in July.

Pepper said a portion of CORE funding would be used for deer exclusion measures before new plantings and that reforestation rates in treated stands are often “around 300 trees an acre.” He said the city could count any new plantings toward Kingston’s broader tree-tracker goals and described the work as likely to cover “dozens of acres.”

Pepper also reported waiting for a contract tied to a large EDC grant from fall 2024; he said the city has not been told that contract awards are paused because of the grant’s funding source, which he described in meeting remarks as tied to an “inflation contract.” He said he has not been given a clear reason for the outstanding paperwork.

The commission discussed practical and community aspects of reforestation planning, including public outreach, community plantings that would let schoolchildren watch a small pocket-forest grow over several years, and the risk of repeated federal-level interruptions to grant programs. Michael Cowan, identified in the meeting as the DEC forester who has attended prior meetings, was mentioned as a partner on regional grants; Pepper said the state DEC expects to fill a regional urban forester role in April.

Commission members asked about how invasive browsers such as deer and common invasive tree species—Norway maple and tree-of-heaven—affect native regeneration. Pepper said the city plans a combination of invasive removal, selective harvesting where appropriate and deer-exclusion measures.

Pepper closed by urging timely follow-up: if the USDA- or CORE-funded services can be contracted quickly, planting can be restored to the spring window; otherwise the work will likely shift to fall.

Ending: Pepper said he is hopeful and that grant administrators planned a webinar for affected grantees later that week; the commission asked for updates at its next meeting.