Malden Awarded $30K Grant Toward Urban Forestry Plan

MALDEN, MA — Malden was recently awarded a $30,000 Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Grant. The grant is funded in part by the USDA Forest Service through the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Urban and Community Forestry Program.

Funding is made available to communities to improve and protect their urban forests. The grant will allow Malden to conduct a first-time inventory of its public shade trees, which will provide a baseline for developing a comprehensive urban forestry plan.

The grant process was a collaboration of the City Council's Community Forestry Plan Advisory Committee, chaired by Ward 4 Councilor Ryan O'Malley, along with the mayor's office and the Malden Canopy Collective, a resident led advocacy group.

The project will deliver a well-developed geographic database and specific information on the city's public street tree assets. This has been a focus of the Community Forestry Plan Advisory Committee and will provide valuable information on the condition of the tree canopy so that the City can develop a management plan, formulate policy recommendations, properly allocate resources, facilitate long-term budgeting and identify suitable sites for new tree plantings.

The Committee is in the process of retaining a vendor to assist in completing the inventory.