Solid Waste board approves $50,000 for fall 2025 tree plantings; board urges 10-year canopy plan

The Vanderburgh County Solid Waste Management District Board approved a motion to request $50,000 for fall 2025 tree plantings and will seek county council approval for that funding. The motion passed by voice vote with no recorded opposition.

Board staff said the district has funded tree plantings in four of the last five years and that previous plantings have ranged from $45,000 to $57,000. "I'd like to try to get in the council's mind that this is a 10 year project. You know, a 100 trees a year for the next 10 years to get that canopy up," a board member said during discussion of longer-term goals.

Nut graf: The board framed tree plantings as part of a multi-entity effort to increase canopy cover in Evansville and Vanderburgh County. Staff said current canopy coverage estimates range in the mid-20s percent and the national target often cited is about 40 percent; staff also described ongoing grant efforts that supplement board funding.

City/county staff present said the board’s plantings support canopy goals by allowing the district to plant in places where other programs cannot and by combining district funds with grant-funded efforts such as one referenced for Westwood Woods. Board staff noted the district maintains a tree nursery and works with volunteers and nonprofit partners to place trees on public and, in some grant-driven cases, private property.

Members discussed limiting this year’s request because of recent emergency spending on storm debris and the new trash-pickup program. The board ultimately proposed $50,000 for fall plantings and moved to request council approval; the motion carried after a voice vote.

Ending: Staff will solicit quotes in June and coordinate planting logistics for fall 2025 if the council approves the requested funds.