Extension does that: Tree grant approval with workforce development opportunity

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Special to the News
Submitted by Dr. Shannon Davis

 

In late 2025 the Goodwater Youth Development Center, the Goodwater Mayor’s Office and the Coosa County Extension office partnered to apply for the Green Up Alabama Tree Grant. In 2026 the grant was approved.

Even with a rainy Wednesday morning, more than 20 10-feet tall native trees were delivered by the Taylor Tree Service team to the Goodwater YDC. The trees will be professionally installed by the team over the next few days.

Sharonna Hayes, director of the YCD, mentioned that this grant is a great benefit to the organization as the program is helping them to “clean out the old, dying trees along the entrance ways and to replace them with healthy trees.”

She added that being able to plant this many trees at once will provide much needed shade around the

YDC grounds, benefiting their summer camp students and allowing their members to expand the variety of what they grow in the community garden.

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System was awarded funding in December 2024 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service to launch the Green Up Alabama Tree program. This five-year initiative is designed to help plan and install urban forests in small and rural communities across the state of Alabama.

According to the Arbor Day Foundation, an urban forest includes all of the shrubbery, trees and green spaces growing within and around towns. Approximately 85% of urban forests grow on private property (e.g., lawns and farms); others grow around public streets, campuses, businesses, and community parks.

By increasing the tree canopy cover, the Green Up Alabama Tree program aspires to improve environmental conditions of Alabama communities.

Benefits of the urban forests include reducing heat as trees create shaded areas, improvement in localized air quality, improving local park aesthetics, and mitigating stormwater runoff.

Along with the 20 native trees, the other aspect of the Green Up Alabama Tree program also includes free, local workforce development trainings. The hands-on workshop topics cover in-depth chainsaw safety, electrical-hazard awareness, tree and grounds maintenance, and management skills.

Local landscapers, land owners, volunteer firefighters, and others who are interested in learning more about these topics are encouraged to attend the upcoming Spring 2027 workshops. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn from and collaborate with arborists and other grounds management experts with Auburn University.

To qualify for the Green Up Tree grant, the organization must be a non-profit or municipal entity, be located in Coosa County, have the land and permission to plant 20 trees in a clustered area, and have the means to water the trees for the first 1-2 years until the trees are established.

If your town or non-profit organization would like to apply for the Green Up Alabama Tree grant and/or if your town or organization has additional workforce development, grant writing, or other needs please call Shannon with the Extension at 256-377-4713.

For more information about upcoming Extension programs and events please follow us on Facebook at Coosa County Extension or call the Extension office at 256-377-4713.