The City of Chattanooga has been awarded a $6 million grant from the USDA for enhancing green spaces + urban forestry zones in designated communities.
The grant will fund the development + maintenance of trees, parks, and greenery over a five-year period — with no additional costs required from the city.
Created by the USDA’s Urban & Community Forestry Program, the grant focuses on encouraging cities “to promote increased equitable access to urban tree canopies.”
What the grant will fund
- An expanded tree inventory + urban forest management planning
- Tree maintenance
- Enhancement of riparian zones
- Remote sensing imagery acquisition + processing
- Graduate student funding for environmental analysis
- New urban forestry staff, specialized teams + skilled crews
“Chattanooga’s outdoors and natural beauty are among our city’s strongest assets, and this is a tremendous boon to the investments that the city and our local partners are already making to ensure that every neighborhood can share in the benefits of urban tree canopy cover.” — Mayor Tim Kelly