Subscribe to Community & Urban Forestry Newsletter
Indiana Division of Forestry's Community Urban Forestry Program provides guidance and grants to communities for the development and caretaking of urban forests.
An urban tree canopy is part of a community’s infrastructure and creates valuable environmental, economic, and social benefits. Well-managed urban forests pay back nearly three times the cost to plant and maintain them.
More than 80 percent of the urban forest is in our own backyard. As society becomes more urbanized and sprawls into rural areas, forests, wooded edges, and woodlots in urban areas are an increasingly important resource.
Contact us at:
Jacob Roos
CUF Program Director
JRoos@dnr.IN.gov
317-234-4386
Grants
Funds are made available to Indiana communities for public tree inventories and management planning, tree planting, education and outreach materials, and other related projects depending on funding source priorities.
2024 End of Year Report
This was a special year for many reasons. We added a new position, urban forestry specialist, to our program and awarded more than $3 million in grants to municipalities and nonprofits. We also hosted six Tree Steward events, the 2024 Indiana Community and Urban Forestry Symposium, the annual Arbor Day poster contest, a Big Tree Tour, and two Tree City forums. We accomplished a lot in 2024, and we’re excited to keep growing in 2025. Here’s a look at everything we achieved together in the past year.
Indiana Tree Stewards
Tree Stewards workshops are offered periodically throughout the state which teach the basics of urban tree care and advocacy. After attending the workshop, attendees are asked to put their knowledge into practice by volunteering 15 hours of service in their local community.
The mission of the Tree Stewards program is to:
- Educate participants on proper tree care, biology, and urban forestry practices
- Empower participants to advocate for community and urban forestry in their neighborhood, community, and state, and
- Connect participants to local volunteer opportunities.
Upcoming Events
- Sept. 11 & 12 Goshen (agenda) (registration)
- Oct. 11 & 18 Muncie (agenda) (registration)
- Nov. 6 & 7 Evansville (agenda) (registration)
Contact Racheal Stenger at 317-234-6741 or rstenger@dnr.IN.gov for questions about the Tree Steward program.
Big Tree Tours
The Big Tree Register is a list of the largest known specimens of each native tree species in Indiana maintained by the DNR Division of Forestry. For more information about the Big Tree Register and an interactive map showing locations of various big trees around the state, please visit: on.IN.gov/big-tree
CUF is now offering Big Tree Tours of state champion and heritage trees to the public. This addition to the Big Tree Register emphasizes the importance of celebrating heritage trees, protecting mature trees, and promoting age and species diversity in our forest population. Locally important trees and state champion trees will be highlighted at each tour.
Upcoming Big Tree Tours
- Sept. 6 Northwest Indiana (registration)
We will be visiting two state champions and a quality nature preserve on this bus and walking tour.
Indiana Community and Urban Forestry Symposium
The Indiana Community Forestry Council (IN-CFC) and DNR Community and Urban Forestry work together to host the Indiana Community and Urban Forestry Symposium each year. This symposium is open to tree board members, municipal staff, nonprofits, university faculty and staff, students, arborists, utility representatives, passionate volunteers, and anyone with an interest in urban forestry. Details about this year's symposium can be found below.
2025 Indiana Community and Urban Forestry Symposium
Dec. 9 & 10 at Switchyard Pavilion in Bloomington, IN
(agenda) (registration)
Tree City USA & National Arbor Day Foundation Programs
The Community & Urban Forestry program is a partner with the Tree City USA program. In 2022, Indiana had 65 Tree City USA communities, 16 Tree Campuses, 6 Tree Line USA, and one Tree Campus K-12 in West Lafayette.
Requirements for becoming a Tree City USA include:
- Appoint a tree board or city department to manage the tree care program.
- Have or pass a public tree care ordinance.
- Spend a minimum of $2 per capita on a community forestry program.
- Have an Arbor Day proclamation and hold an Arbor Day event.