Building a Coalition

In 2005 the U.S. Forest Service awarded the Delaware Center for Horticulture a grant to create a coalition-building model for urban forest sustainability and comprehensive planning. The Delaware Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control (DNREC) also provided substantial support for this project through Community Environmental Penalty Funds.

By 2006 the Trees for Wilmington coalition was up and running. This group is composed of a variety of stakeholders, including city residents, policy-makers, government agency representatives, and municipal employees. The focus of the coalition is to improve the urban forest in Wilmington and promote more sustainable management techniques. The formation, lessons learned, and future goals of Trees for Wilmington offer a potential model for creating similar initiatives in other communities.

In 2007 the Delaware Center for Horticulture, in partnership with the City of Wilmington, received a major grant from the Home Depot Foundation to support the work of Trees for Wilmington, and to improve the City’s urban forest resources. This grant also included recognition of Wilmington as the National Winner in the Small City Category of “Awards of Excellence for Community Trees and Urban Forestry.” The award and the grant were presented at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Los Angeles.