Kansas Forest Service

Community Assistance

The Community Forestry Program is supported and promoted in the field with technical assistance and support provided by your District and Community Forester. The Kansas Forest Service provides and can assist your community with the following activities:

• Technical assistance - Foresters help communities complete assessments, inventories and management plans, as well as developing ordinances, plant health care practices and training programs.
• Education and Training - Educations and training is provided to develop, facilitate, and coordinate programs and materials for forestry professionals, arborists, elected officials, planners, developers, school children and volunteers.
• Resource Development - The Program administers federal cost sharing programs and assists in finding and developing alternate sources of funding, staff, and support for community programs.
• Public awareness - The Community Forestry program also develops awareness and support of the value of urban forests and their need for management through the media, recognition programs, celebrations and events.

For specific questions on tree health (i.e. why is my tree sick), please seek out your local Extension Office.

Grant Opportunities

Inflation Reduction Act Community Forests Grant

The Kansas Forest Service wants to revitalize the state’s community forests through strategic partnerships with local government, non-governmental and community-based organizations, and other strategic partners that will lead to long-term growth and development of community forests in underserved communities. These efforts will increase the resiliency, sustainability, and equitable access to community forests, make the environment and population healthier, and mitigate the effects of heat islands and climate change. Kansas Forest Service is taking a focused sub-award grant program approach to implement widespread community forestry revitalization which will provide long-term and widespread positive impacts for disadvantaged community forests by increasing the resiliency, sustainability, and canopy equity of community forests.   

Kansas Forest Service is offering ten grant awards to improve our community forests with a maximum award amount of $100,000. This competitive grant funding will go towards managing trees in open spaces, greenbelts, roadside screens, parks, campgrounds, woodlands, curb areas, and residential developments increasing equitable access to the community tree canopy.  These treatments will focus on publicly accessible community forests that need pruning, removal, planting, procuring plant material, and increasing the resiliency of the community forests.  Extra consideration will be given to projects and programs that have long-lasting effects on underserved communities.  Outcomes are trees planted, pruned, and removed.

Kansas Forest Service is offering competitive grant awards with no match required. Project areas are required to be identified as overburdened and underserved by the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool.  

Applications are due on November 8th, 2024, by 5 pm CST.  Late applications will not be eligible.

Community Foresters will offer the below help sessions to answer questions or help communities navigate the grant requirements. For additional questions, please reach out to your Kansas Forest Service Community Forester. 

 

KFS IRA RFP Application

KFS IRA Commonly Asked Questions

 

 

BIL Community Hazard Tree Cost Share Application

Kansas’ mature to over-mature canopy has been degraded by repetitive storms, drought, and flooding over the last decade, along with an invasion of emerald ash borer and other biotic threats and issues. This declining canopy continues to increase the number of defective and potentially hazardous public trees. Many smaller rural communities lack the funding to properly address hazardous and dead or dying trees.

This October the Kansas Forest Service Community Forestry Program is planning to release grant funds to assist with hazard tree removals in rural communities. This is a competitive process with eight total awards available ranging from $5,000 to $9,500. The grant requires a 50/50 match. Eligible communities need to have a population of 50,000 or less. Last year’s application is below to allow future applicants to understand more about this opportunity.

• Learn more about the program
• Community Hazard Tree Cost Share Application