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Tree commission seeks council endorsement to pursue up to $100,000 grant for street trees
Summary
The Mount Healthy Tree Commission reviewed recent plantings, training and a street-tree survey, and asked the city council to endorse a grant application due in August that could fund planting, pruning and training programs; council will consider endorsement at the July meeting.
Dwight, a member of the Mount Healthy Tree Commission, presented the commission’s recent work and plans to the council, describing a full street-tree survey, outreach efforts and a planned grant application. He said the commission has planted roughly 177 trees over the years and that a recent survey counted more than 300 street trees on city rights-of-way.
Dwight told council the commission passed a street-tree protection ordinance in 2023 that made the city eligible for grants and allowed the group to contract with a certified arborist. The commission has run pruning classes, performed soil remediation along Perry Street and plans a tree-planting this fall in wetland parkland. He also described training, volunteer pruning and a multi-year plan to complete structured pruning for more than 200 young street trees beginning in spring 2026.
On funding, Dwight said grant awards in this program typically range from $15,000 to $100,000 and that the commission will apply for the full $100,000 in the next round; the application is due in August. He asked council to endorse the application at the July meeting so the city can submit it to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).
An ODNR urban-forestry representative, Wendy Van Verung, told the council the Tree Commission Academy training the local commission completed is nationally recognized and that ODNR supports municipal green-infrastructure efforts. Council members asked about pests and communications to residents; Dwight and the arborist reported one winter fungus on a maple but said they had no evidence of a spreading pest.
If council endorses the application in July, the commission anticipates using the funds for planting, training, hazard-reduction pruning and some contractor work on larger trees. The commission emphasized its preference to build species diversity (limiting future maple plantings) and to invest in maintenance so newly planted and young street trees survive to maturity.
Next steps: the commission will bring final grant details to the July council meeting for formal endorsement and readings so the city can finalize the application in August.
