County Will Provide Grants for Tree Replacement

The county will offer a $2.5 million grant program to replace trees damaged in November's wind storm, according to the office of County Supervisor Michael Antonovich.

The grants will be offered in blocks of $100,000 to "cities, other public agencies and nonprofit organizations that partner with public agencies," according to Antonovich's press release.

The grants can be used to plant trees in parks, public open spaces, or residential or commercial streets, according to the release.

The Sierra Madre City Council recently shelled out $695,000 to deal with windstorm recovery. However, none of that money was designated for tree replacement. It went towards the purchase of a new generator and generator repairs, tree trimming, roof repairs, and to cover costs that were generated in the days immediately following the windstorm like Athens picks up, staff overtime and tree removal.

Check out the full breakdown:

The Council indicated it would likely spend more money toward tree replacement in the future, but wanted to talk with the Tree Commission first.

The deadline to apply for the county grant is May 31 and applicant proposals should include plans to start the planting by the end of 2012, according to the release.

Applications can be downloaded from the Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District website at http://openspacedistrict.lacounty.info or for more information, call (213) 738-2981.