Cheyenne receives grant to plant 100+ trees in city parks

Published on April 15, 2024

The City of Cheyenne has received grant funding from the Wyoming State Forestry Division that will result in more than 100 trees planted in Holliday Park and Lakeview Cemetery later this year.

The funding will further the City Urban Forestry Division’s efforts to protect and increase Cheyenne’s urban tree canopy.

“We’re committed to keeping trees in our urban environment,” City Forester Mark Ellison said. “Trees planted with this grant funding will add to our efforts to not only replace trees we have needed to remove due to disease and old age, but also to plant more trees in the city than we had before.”

The $55,000 grant is funded through the Inflation Reduction Act and administered by the USDA Forest Service and the Wyoming State Forestry Division.

“Communities thrive when their trees are managed for their health and resiliency,” said Wyoming State Forester Kelly Norris. “Wyoming State Forestry is very excited for the City of Cheyenne and their continued efforts in keeping Cheyenne's forests a part of the City's future.”

The City’s Urban Forestry Division has already identified locations in Holliday Park and Lakeview Cemetery where new trees should be planted, and the new trees will represent a variety of deciduous and evergreen species. In all, the grant will be able to fund as many as 110 new trees.

Urban Forestry plans to hire a contractor to plant the trees and planting is expected to begin in the fall and wrap up by November 2024.

The selection of tree species also represents efforts by Urban Forestry to diversify the types of trees in Cheyenne, creating a healthier urban canopy and reducing the effects of disease and age.

Most of Cheyenne’s largest trees are cottonwoods and spruce, which were the types of trees available in the area when they were planted in the early 1900s. Many of those trees are now reaching the end of their lifespans and are becoming hazardous as their lifecycle ends.

The grant award supplements other efforts the City is doing to promote and expand tree cover in Cheyenne. Urban Forestry has other tree planting projects planned this year and Rooted in Cheyenne plans to add around 300 trees through its program in 2024.

To learn more about Rooted in Cheyenne, visit www.rootedincheyenne.com.

To learn more about Cheyenne Urban Forestry, visit www.cheyennetrees.com.