Tree for Every Delawarean Initiative Awards $173,000 to Nine Organizations

Tree Giveaways Also Planned for This Fall

Nine applicants will receive a combined $173,000 in funding from the Tree for Every Delawarean Initiative (TEDI) to plant 12,055 trees in the spring of 2026.

TEDI, which works with Delaware conservation partners, including the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) and the Department of Agriculture's Delaware Forest Service aims to plant 1 million trees by 2030. To date, more than 350,000 trees have been planted by various partners across the state utilizing a multitude of funding sources.

"Money allocated by Delaware's General Assembly, combined with additional funding sources available to our conservation partners, is helping ensure TEDI continues on a path to success," said DNREC Secretary Greg Patterson.

Projects awarded funding include:

• Delaware Nature Society (Hockessin)
• Mount Cuba Center (Hockessin)
• Delaware Wild Lands, Inc. (Odessa)
• Delaware Center for the Inland Bays (Rehoboth Beach)
• Skyline Middle School (Red Clay Consolidated School District)
• West Park Place Elementary School (Christina School District)
• Friends of Bellevue State Park (Wilmington)
• University of Delaware (Newark)
• Village of Ardentown (New Castle County)

Robert "Blake" Moore of the University of Delaware Cooperative Extension said the funding will help advance the organization's Kranz Farm food forest tree project.

"That project will support a variety of wildlife, as well as provide water quality and climate carbon sequestration and storage benefits," he said.

In addition to funding the tree-planting projects, the TEDI program will also fund nine giveaways this fall in an effort to deliver a total of 2,250 trees directly to Delaware residents in all three counties. Event dates and locations are posted on the de.gov/tedi webpage and on DNREC's Calendar of Events, hosted by the following partners:

• Sept. 20: University of Delaware Cooperative Extension (Milford)
• Sept. 26: New Castle County (Glasgow Regional Park)
• Oct. 3: New Castle County (Rockwood Park)
• Oct. 11: Delaware Botanic Gardens (Dagsboro)
• Oct. 11: Kent Conservation District (Dover)
• Oct. 11: New Castle Conservation District (Newark)
• Oct. 11: Sussex Conservation District (Georgetown)
• Oct. 18: DNREC Blackbird Creek Fall Festival (Townsend)
• Nov. 1: City of Dover (Dover)

Additional funding opportunities, as well as a list of nurseries that carry native trees, tips on tree care and a tree tracker can be found by visiting de.gov/tedi webpage. Delawareans can help TEDI reach its goal by adding details about newly planted trees on their property into the TEDI tracker.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state's natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Climate, Coastal and Energy uses science, education, policy development and incentives to address Delaware's climate, energy and coastal challenges. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn.

Media Contact: Michael Globetti, [email protected] or Jim Lee, [email protected]

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