Member Highlight: Great River Greening & City of Owatonna partnering to increase tree canopy

Below is a contribution from GMPT Member the City of Owatonna. For more information, please visit owatonna.gov.

The City of Owatonna recently partnered with Great River Greening (GRG), a St. Paul-based organization that’s Minnesota’s leader in nature-based climate solutions. Their Cooling Minnesota Communities (CMC) program supports healthy and resilient tree canopies, which can be seen throughout Owatonna this fall.

The first event allowed residents living in qualifying areas to receive a free tree to plant in their yard. Over 50 residents took home trees to plant after the event. During the giveaway, residents had the opportunity to learn how to properly plant a tree, as Great River Greening and city employees planted eight trees at a city park and the library.

In October, community volunteers are invited to planting events at two park locations, where 25 more trees will be added. One park will feature trees that not only purify and cool the air but also provide fruit each year. 

A total of three hundred trees are set to be planted in various parks and green spaces over the next three years. Funding for the program comes from a portion of a $10 million grant from the USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forest Grants—facilitated by the federal Inflation Reduction Act—and additional funding from the State of Minnesota’s Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, as allocated through the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).