Cleveland Tree Coalition Grants Over $600,000 for Community Tree Planting

More than a dozen Cleveland-based organizations will split around $600,000 funds in from Fall 2024 Cleveland Tree Coalition Grant Program, which aims to plant trees in neighborhoods that have a low tree canopy cover.

The funding is provided in part by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, NOPEC, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the Cleveland Foundation and the Arbor Day Foundation.

“This is the largest request for funds we have received in the history of the grant program. We are grateful to our funders and to the many partners that make this possible.” said Sara Tillie, the newly hired Director of the Coalition, in a press release.

The Cleveland Tree Coalition is a collaborative group of public, private and community stakeholders who partner with the City of Cleveland to rebuild Cleveland’s urban forest.

After careful consideration from the Coalition grant review committee, over $600,000 will be distributed to 13 local agencies to plant more than 500 trees over the next year.

Partners include:

• Downtown Cleveland Inc., who will plant 36 trees in Public Square, Erie St. Cemetery, and along Euclid Ave., Prospect Ave., and East 9th St.,
• Evangelical Environmental Network,, who will maintain 137 trees at Lake Pool Park, and along Lake Ave., W 85th, W89th, and W 65 streets
• Friends of Jefferson Neighborhood, will plant 20 trees along W 129th St.
• Jefferson-Puritas West Park CDC will plant 40 trees in a vacant lot off Emery Ave.
• MetroWest Community Development Planting 50 trees on W 65th from Clark Ave. to Storer Ave.
• Midtown Cleveland Inc. Planting 100 trees on Carnegie Ave. from E 55th to E 79th St.
• Monroe Street Cemetery Foundation Planting 12 trees in Monroe Street Cemetery
• Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District Planting 56 trees in a greenspace on E 71 St.
• Northwest Neighborhoods CDC Planting 35 trees on Colgate Ct. from W 80 to W 73 St.
• Old Brooklyn Development Corp. 50 residential tree plantings
• Slavic Village Development 50 residential tree plantings
• University Circle Inc. Planting 15 trees at Wade Oval
• Western Reserve Land Conservancy Planting 75 trees at Wilson Elementary School

“Growing our urban tree canopy is important for the health of all Clevelanders and the health of our community, ” says Tillie. “Trees are vital to the infrastructure of cities and can help reduce heat island effects by providing shade, improve run-off and stormwater issues, improve air quality, and provide habitats for wildlife, like birds, small mammals, and pollinators.”

The movement continues efforts, including from the newly formed Cleveland Division of Forestry, to address canopy issues.

According to 2017 data, Cleveland was losing some 75 acres per year—roughly 4,950 trees—simply due to natural death. Trees weren’t being maintained quickly enough. City Hall suffered from a dearth of qualified arborists.

The city, an accompanying Tree Plan insisted, would have to plant at least 28,500 new trees per year to ensure about a third of Cleveland would be covered by 2040.

“The city has multiple departments that influence the urban forest, but coordination is minimal,” the 2015 Cleveland Tree Plan, which lambasted City Hall’s “Low” performance rating, stated. “City budget levels have remained level since 2005, departments are stretched thin, and trees are currently a low priority compared to other city infrastructure such as roads, curbs, and sidewalks.”

In 2021, new trees planted by the city department totaled 1,246. In 2022, it was 350. And in 2023, just 15 were planted.

Tree canopies are vital in helping to control air quality, in bringing down surface temperatures in neighborhoods, and for general health.

The addition of 500 more will help.

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