Evanston has received a $802,500 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service Agency to improve the health of the urban forest parks alongside Evanston’s Northshore Channel.
The funding will come through the Urban and Community Forestry Grant program, which will fund 385 projects to make trees and greenspaces more accessible in disadvantaged communities around the country. The USDA has invested a total of $1.5 billion, supported by the Inflation Reduction Act.
Evanston will use the money to prune trees, remove hazardous trees and invasive buckthorns, and plant trees and shrubbery over the next five years. The city will also provide funding for public outreach programs including tree giveaways for private property and tree plantings.
The projects will take place in parks and greenspaces around Evanston ― including Twiggs Park, Butler Park, Beck Park, Harbert Park and the Ladd Arboretum. The parks span an area from Green Bay Road to Emerson Street.
The grant comes amid city discussions on parks improvement projects on the 2024 budget. At a Sept. 19 city council meeting, Parks and Recreation Board president Robert Bush said the city’s parks are currently “at a crisis.” Bush challenged councilmembers to commit at least 5% of its nearly $400 million budget to improving the city’s parks.
According to the USDA, communities with accessible greenspaces experience improved community health, reduced crime, lower average temperatures and more economic opportunities.
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