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PROPOSED GRANT AWARD
Department: Department of Resource Management
Grantee: Forest Preserves of Cook County (the “Forest Preserves”)
Grantor: The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, Illinois
Request: Authorization to accept grant
Purpose: Authorization is sought for the Forest Preserves to accept grant and enter into a subrecipient agreement with the Morton Arboretum for tree planting utilizing funds received through the U.S. Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program.
Grant Amount: $30,000.00
Grant Period: 1/12/2024 (retroactive) - 9/30/2025
Fiscal Impact: Not to exceed $30,000.00 in direct match
Accounts: Professional Services 51034.520840; Grant and Mitigation 51010.521444 and 51010.520840; and all future Professional Services and Grant and Mitigation accounts
Concurrences: The Chief Financial Officer has approved this item. Final subrecipient agreement is subject to legal review and approval.
District(s): 3, 4, 5
Summary: The Forest Preserves has been sub-awarded grant funds from the Morton Arboretum via the U.S. Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program to plant a total of eighty (80) trees in picnic groves in south Cook County at Beaubien Woods, Kickapoo Woods, Green Lake, Eggers Grove, and Dan Ryan Woods. These planting efforts serve to reduce the negative impacts of historical ash tree loss due to the Emerald Ash Borer and other stressors that trees in the urban environment face, including impacts from deer, invasive species, and an increasingly stressful climate. Planting sites were selected with due consideration of recreational use, with a majority falling within federally listed disadvantaged communities, which historically experience higher air pollutant levels, flood risk, and above average surface temperatures.
The project will increase forest diversity and resiliency, improve wildlife habitat, and provide additional benefits in the form of improved air and water quality as well as shade for visitors’ enjoyment. Trees will consist of a diverse mix of native species.
Total project costs are $60,000.00, of which the Forest Preserves will contribute $30,000.00 or 50% in direct match.
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