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Forest Service Supports Great Lakes with $6.28M in Grants

Person planting a tree
Grants will fund the planting of trees like these, which reduce stormwater runoff in urban areas.

The Forest Service is awarding $6.28 million in grants to support restoration projects on nonfederal lands in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, and Wisconsin. In all, 38 projects are funded through this year’s GLRI competitive grant program in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 

As a result of this Forest Service grant program, over 1 million trees have been planted on nonfederal lands in the past decade—intercepting an estimated 18.5 million gallons of stormwater runoff per year and contributing to the restoration of an estimated 19,300 acres of land. 

This year’s grantees will plant 107,620 trees, which will intercept stormwater to reduce runoff that can pollute water bodies and cause flooding. Grants will also mitigate forest insect and disease impacts with over 3,000 acres of reforestation and support local partnerships to treat 1,790 acres for nonnative invasive plants and survey 111,130 acres for new infestations. 

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