Delaware awards $234,000 for tree-planting projects

The Tree for Every Delawarean Initiative recently announced 10 projects will receive a combined $234,000 in funding to plant more than 4,600 trees in spring 2025.

TEDI is a partnership between the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and the Department of Agriculture’s Delaware Forest Service to enhance and support tree-planting projects throughout the state.

TEDI aims to plant 1 million trees by 2030. To date, more than 250,000 trees have been planted through the initiative.

Projects awarded funding are: City of Lewes; Friends of Cape Henlopen State Park, Lewes; Delaware Botanic Gardens near Dagsboro; Trap Pond Partners, Trap Pond State Park, Laurel; Zoe Ministries, Sussex County; Mount Cuba Center, Hockessin; City of New Castle; City of Wilmington; Friends of Bellevue State Park, New Castle County; and Friends of White Clay Creek State Park, Newark. 

For more information on funding opportunities, as well as a list of nurseries that carry native trees, tips on tree care and a tree tracker, go to de.gov/tedi.

Delawareans can help TEDI reach its goal by adding details about newly planted trees on their property into the tracker.

In addition to funding the tree-planting projects, the TEDI program also fully funded seven tree giveaways this fall in an effort to deliver trees directly to Delaware residents. This is the second year the program sponsored tree giveaways. Last year, TEDI funded three giveaways.

TEDI partners sponsoring giveaway events, which collectively helped distribute 3,250 trees throughout all three counties, included: Sussex Conservation District, Delaware Botanic Gardens, Kent Conservation District, New Castle Conservation District and DNREC Blackbird Creek Fall Fest. The TEDI program also partnered with the Delaware Center for Horticulture to provide funding for 168 trees for its fall reduced-cost tree distribution.