The Colorado State Forest Service is now accepting applications for a new grant program designed to grow the tree canopy in disadvantaged areas of Colorado.

In its first year, the Colorado Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Urban and Community Forestry (UCF) grant program has a $1.6 million funding pool. Cities, towns, counties, special districts, LLCs representing neighborhood groups and tribal agencies are just some of the groups eligible to apply.

“Trees in our communities provide many benefits for Coloradans, including shade, clear air and water, lower energy costs, wildlife habitat and more,” said Matt McCombs, state forester and director of the CSFS. “Thanks to a historic investment in urban forests from our federal partners through the Inflation Reduction Act, the CSFS can give communities that lack trees an opportunity to grow their canopy, as well as the workforce needed to maintain these trees long into the future.”

The CSFS created the IRA UCF grant program with IRA funding from the USDA Forest Service. Eligible projects will prioritize capacity building and community engagement to improve forest canopies in disproportionately impacted (DI) areas, identified through the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool under the Justice40 Initiative, although projects may extend to surrounding areas to ensure comprehensive planning.

Qualifying projects will include tree planting, pruning, removal, watering and irrigation installation and must occur within DI boundaries or be immediately adjacent to them, according to USDA Forest Service guidance. Additionally, projects will include urban forest management plans, capacity building activities, tree inventories, green career development and urban wood utilization within and around DI areas. Qualifying projects must show a comprehensive approach to outreach within DI areas to ensure that the opinions, preferences and choices of DI residents help direct the final outcomes of the project.

Colorado IRA UCF grants will be awarded in two levels: $20,000 to $99,999 and $100,000 to $250,000. No matching funds are required for this grant program.

The application deadline is July 31, 2024. All applicants are required to complete an online training on how to plant trees and engage with residents within DI areas before submitting an application. The CSFS will announce awards by Sept. 1, 2024, and projects must be completed by Feb. 27, 2029.

For more information or to apply, please visit csfs.colostate.edu/grants, or contact CSFS_UCF@colostate.edu.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment would like to inform you about the availability of proposed regulations for the Closed Landfill Remediation Grant Program.

During the 2023 legislative session, the Colorado General Assembly passed HB 23-1194, creating the Closed Landfill Remediation Grant Program. The program will provide grants to eligible local governments to help with the costs of environmental remediation efforts for, and management of, closed landfills owned by local governments.

HB 23-1194 directs the Solid and Hazardous Waste Commission to adopt rules on how the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment will administer the grant program. The Solid Waste and Materials Management Program is proposing Section 19 of the Regulations Pertaining to Solid Waste Sites and Facilities, 6 CCR 1007-2 Part 1. The Solid Waste and Materials Management Program held three stakeholder meetings on Section 19, and solicited three rounds of written comments with subsequent revisions to the proposed regulations in response to the stakeholder comments received. The proposed regulations and statement of basis and purpose are posted on the Solid Waste and Materials Management Program’s stakeholder webpage.

A formal rulemaking hearing will take place on May 21, 2024. Please visit the Solid and Hazardous Waste Commission webpage for upcoming rulemaking meetings.

More information can be found on the Solid Waste and Materials Management Program’s Closed Landfill Remediation Grant Program webpage.

New Accessibility Grant program for Colorado governments to help with your accessibility compliance needs. SIPA to provide CommonLook Suite Licenses on a first come, first serve bases. This will enable your entity to make existing PDFs compliant and/or generate compliant PDFs from Word and PowerPoint documents.

Click here to learn more and to apply.