Join us for our first "Members Only" social in Macon on October 17th! We will start with a tour of Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park with several guides from different groups. This will be followed by a social gathering at Fall Line Brewery, where GTC will provide light food & drink.

This event is free, but open only to GTC members with an active membership. To register, you must be an active member; if you are not yet a member and would like to attend, we welcome you to sign up for a membership. Click on the "green" to read more!

A great way to keep up with urban and community forestry in Georgia and be "in the know" about educational programs, technical assistance, and resource opportunities is to sign up for the Georgia Tree Council email list. Click on the green icon to sign up!

The Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service (USFS) announces the Trees Across Georgia (TAG) Urban and Community Forestry (U&CF) Grant Program. The program is designed to encourage projects that plant trees and increase the benefits of tree canopy, create and support long-term and sustained urban and community forestry programs, and promote the care of trees in communities throughout Georgia with emphasis on disadvantaged communities.

The USDA Forest Service, authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act and the Community Forestry Assistance Act of the 1990 Farm Bill, has allocated funding to the Georgia Forestry Commission for statewide distribution.
The grant application period will open June 1st, 2024. The Trees Across Georgia Kick-Off Webinar will be held June 6th, 2024 via Microsoft Teams. To receive the webinar link, please sign up at the link below.

There are two sources of funding for this grant opportunity. One source is Georgia’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding. These IRA funds MUST be used in DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES identified by the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST). CEJST is a geospatial mapping tool to identify census tracts that are overburdened by climate change, pollution or other environmental or socioeconomic factors. These communities identified through CEJST are considered disadvantaged because they are overburdened and underserved.

The other source of funding is through non-IRA Community Forestry Assistance funds. These projects do not have to have an exclusive focus on disadvantaged communities but the potential amount that can be awarded is substantially less and requires a match.

Projects or programs of work completed 80%-100% in disadvantaged communities identified by CEJST may qualify for IRA funding. IRA qualified projects will be eligible for funding up to $150,000 per year for up to three years based on need and completed milestones. In addition, IRA qualified projects will not be required to provide a match.

Projects which do not focus 80%-100% on disadvantaged communities do not qualify for IRA funding. Non-IRA projects may be selected to receive up to $50,000 in non-IRA Community Forestry Assistance funds which require a dollar for dollar match. These projects must be completed within a one-year timeframe.

Eligible project categories:

Urban Forestry Program Support – Projects that encourage improved management of community forestry resources such as staffing, workforce development, technical assistance, ordinance development, storm readiness planning, invasive species removal, etc.
Tree planting – Tree planting projects which address tree equity, mitigate the effects of extreme heat and climate change, replace storm damaged canopy, create greenspaces, reduce stormwater runoff and/or increase the environmental and social benefits of trees.
Tree Advocacy Group Development and Support – Projects that organize or train tree boards and projects that develop or enhance a non-profit 501(c)3 group’s ability to support tree care, tree planting, or tree education efforts
Urban Wood Utilization – Projects that increase knowledge, awareness, and visibility of urban wood utilization and recycling. Grant funding may be applied to education and outreach materials, demonstration of specialized equipment and techniques for working on smaller interface woodlots, and assessments of the feasibility of recycling and processing urban waste wood.
Read the full grant guidelines at the link on this page: https://gatrees.org/urban-community-forestry/trees-across-georgia-tag-grant-program/

This popular annual educational event, hosted this year by Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, is for tree keepers on any type of campus setting - colleges and universities, corporate campuses, botanical gardens, etc. Attendees include directors and staff of landscaping departments, as well as grounds crews, administrators, sustainability leaders, arborists, and others who care for campus trees. We'll talk about tree issues common to campuses such as safety and risk, soil compaction, campus growth and trees, and many other topics. We'll shine a spotlight on campuses in the southeast Georgia region and their tree planting and preservation projects. Don't work for a campus? That's okay - everyone is invited to attend. Read more and register.

Welcome to the Georgia Forestry Forum! This is a podcast that explores trees and forests - the rich and renewable resources - and the innumerable benefits we humans get from them!

Today's topic is all things Georgia Arbor Day! Join Seth Hawkins of the Georgia Forestry Commission and Mary Lynne Beckley of the Georgia Tree Council for a discussion on the importance of Arbor Day, more about how you can participate in this year's festivities, and all about the importance of trees in our lives.

We're thrilled to be presenting the Annual Georgia Tree Conference this year at the Jekyll Island Club Resort. Attendees will enjoy informative general sessions and interesting breakouts, all with knowledgeable speakers and urban forestry experts to help you gain the knowledge you need to care for your community's urban forest.

Learn more about the Jekyll Island Club Resort here: https://www.jekyllclub.com/

This event also features our Excellence in Urban Forestry Awards Luncheon, a tour of Jekyll Island's trees, and an evening reception with food, drink, and a silent auction benefitting the Georgia Tree Council's work.

CEUs will be available.

Make sure you are on our email list to receive announcements about this GTC signature educational event as details are posted!