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Wellington tree board pushes large plantings, seeks grants and readies canopy study
Summary
Village staff described multiple grant applications and village funding to support large plantings at the new Moncada section and elsewhere, and said a canopy study due in January will inform longer-term planning. The board also announced a Sept. tree-planting volunteer event on National Public Lands Day.
Village staff told the Wellington Tree Board that they have applied for several grants and set village funding aside to support large-scale plantings in newly acquired preserve land and other public sites.
A staff member said, “I’ve just applied for a $350,000 grant from the Arbor Day Foundation to put another, almost 800 trees out there, similar to the ones we planted with the last couple of grants we got.” The staff member also said the village has budgeted “$250,000 of village money for next year for planting out there too.”
The board was told the village is pursuing smaller grants as well. “The 2 grants I’m working on now, 1 is a $50,000 grant to plant more trees. And that 1 is 1 of the hurricane relief grants,” the staff member said. Another staff remark noted the village completed three Arbor Day Foundation grants and is pursuing additional funding sources through the U.S. Department of Agriculture programs.
Why it matters: the planting program and forthcoming canopy study will shape where the village targets shade and storm-resilience plantings and how public dollars are spent. The staff member said past large grants — “when they pulled the funding, for that $750,000 worth of tree installations, it kind of set us back a little bit” — affected planting schedules and prompted new grant applications.
Details and schedule: staff said the planting spreadsheet in the meeting packet has been updated to include the Big Blue project, plantings at the Moncada property (the new Moncada section adjacent to the Stoneman Douglas Preserve), and plantings in the village. The board was told the village is aiming for “1,100 pines” in the September planting with the Garden Club at the Stoneman Douglas Preserve extension, and that a separate September planting will add about 145 trees once the council approves a $50,000 grant. The staff member said the $350,000 grant would fund “another, almost 800 trees” of full-size 10- to 12-foot material if awarded.
Canopy study and next steps: staff said a canopy assessment was just approved and is expected to be complete by January. “The deadline is January for that. So we should have that done here in the next couple of months,” the staff member said; the study will provide baseline data staff said they will bring to the board for future planning.
Volunteer event and outreach: the board announced a large volunteer planting on National Public Lands Day in September. A Garden Club representative invited members and their families to a community tree-planting event at the new Moncada section of the Wellington Environmental Preserve, scheduled to begin with a photo shoot at 8:30 a.m.; volunteers will plant roughly 1,000 South Florida native pine seedlings and staff said planting holes will be pre-dug.
Caveats and funding uncertainty: staff warned federal and USDA-related grant pools have tightened. “It was pretty tight for a little while, but they’re starting to free up a little bit of money,” the staff member said, adding the village expects smaller award sizes than in past years and plans to submit multiple applications.
What’s next: staff said once the council approves the $50,000 grant, staff will schedule the September planting and update the tree-board planting spreadsheet at the December meeting to reflect September numbers.
