The city of Lincoln is receiving $10,000 for its tree planting efforts.

The grant is through the 2009 Trees for Nebraska Towns community landscaping grant program, which is managed by the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum and funded by the Nebraska Environmental Trust.

Steve Schwab, City Forester, said the funds will be used for two efforts:

• The Lincoln Street Tree Voucher Program provides cost-share help to residential property owners in Lincoln who want to plant street trees on city rights of way adjacent to their property. Property owners can receive a $50 voucher for each street tree. The vouchers are redeemable at 13 nurseries when property owners buy designated street trees to be planted adjacent to their property.
• The Targeted Tree Replacement Program identifies areas that need street trees. The South Capital Mall area of the Near South Neighborhood is the designated project site for 2010.

Statewide, the program is awarding tree planting grants to 27 projects in 23 communities.

The program was developed to address tree loss in Nebraska and to improve the overall health, sustainability and species diversity of the state's trees.

It is coordinated by NSA and is part of ReTree Nebraska efforts to plant a million trees by 2017 (www.retreenebraska.edu).

To help achieve these goals, the NET, a beneficiary of the Nebraska Lottery, is providing $1 million in grant funding. More information about the program is available by contacting the NSA at 472-2971.