Raleigh outlines plan to plant 24,000 trees, seeks partners and $100,000 from TCA funds

Steven Bentley, director of the Raleigh Parks Department, told the council the Leaf Out proposal centers on promoting native plants, limiting invasive species and coordinating city and community plantings to reach a 24,000-tree goal.

Bentley said the program is anchored by a grant administered through the North Carolina Forest Service that is a federal pass-through; the grant must be expended within two years of the city's contract with the state. He said the grant’s focus is twofold: tree maintenance (pruning and removal of hazardous trees) and tree planting, and that the grant does not cover staffing or outreach costs the department recommends funding separately. "Leaf out is not just about trees," Bentley said, "It is looking at how the city is gonna promote natives and the use of natives and limit our use of invasive species within our projects." (Steven Bentley, director, Raleigh Parks Department)

Bentley described a mixed approach to planting: larger caliper trees will be installed by contractors on city-owned and managed properties, while community-based plantings and giveaways will rely on partners, volunteers and neighborhood groups. The department estimates a baseline city planting of roughly 3,300 trees annually and expects about 2,000 trees to be planted through the real estate development process alone; its early goal is to plant at least 1,000 trees in the first year and to exceed that number through combined contractor and community efforts.

The parks department proposed reallocating a 25-hour-per-week permanent part-time position and modest operating funds (phone, computer, vehicle access) to manage and scale the program. Bentley also proposed using $100,000 from payment-in-lieu tree conservation area (TCA) funds to purchase additional trees; depending on tree size, he estimated that could add roughly 500–1,000 trees to the city’s totals.

On implementation and partnership, Bentley said the city plans to pursue memoranda of understanding with nonprofit partners (he cited Audubon and "Trees Across the Triangle" as umbrella collaborators) and to publish a public-facing GIS tool so partners and residents can tag and track planted trees. He described a flexible granting model that could support higher-capacity fiscal agents rather than many tiny microgrants, but said the city has not yet finalized eligibility or administrative details.

Zach Manor, the city’s urban forester, described procurement practices and maintenance expectations: the city purchases most larger trees from external nurseries, uses an on-site holding yard, and requires a two-year maintenance and watering plan for grant-funded plantings to meet state requirements. Asked about survival rates, Manor estimated roughly a 70% survival rate in many cases, noting outcomes depend on weather and post-planting care. "It's a combination of both," Manor said when asked whether trees are purchased or grown on-site. (Zach Manor, Urban Forester, Raleigh Parks)

Council members asked for clarity about whether grant dollars cover invasive species removal (Bentley said they do not and noted the city spends $300,000–$500,000 every other year in the CIP on invasive species removal), how partner plantings will be counted toward the 24,000 goal, and whether the TCA funds proposed for use are new money or a reallocation. Bentley said TCA funds are collected and spent within zone restrictions and that staff will work with the city attorney and finance to confirm whether grants are eligible uses under those funds.

The department plans to return with a status update in winter (mid-growing season) once planting activity is underway and the tracking tool is available. Bentley said the Leaf Out effort will depend on community partners to move the needle and that the city will refine the granting structure and partnerships as it builds program capacity.