Agenda - Council - 08/25/2026 - Laserfiche WebLink

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DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES 2026 Protect Community Forests Ineligible Project Activities and Expenses Ineligible project expenses include, but are not limited to: • Costs incurred prior to the start date of the fully executed grant agreement. • Purchase of trees listed on the Minnesota Noxious Weed List, or the DNR's Invasive Terrestrial Plants List, including Amur cork tree, Amur maple, autumn olive, black locust, buckthorn, Norway maple, Russian olive, Siberian elm, and tree of heaven. • Purchase of balled and burlapped trees larger than 2.5" caliper, containerized trees larger than #20, or bareroot trees greater than 2" or less than %" caliper diameter. • Purchase of tree species in a genus that already makes up 10% or more of the community's or in a family that makes up 20% or more of the trees. • Purchase of plants other than trees, such as shrubs, living ground covers, sod, grass seed, and flowers. • Purchase of land or easements. • Major soil purchases, grade changes or construction. • Work on state land. • Capital expenditures (items with a unit cost of $5,000 or more), such as buildings, motor vehicles, trails, or other permanent structures. • Purchase of meals or snacks for volunteers. • Experimental practices not approved by DNR. Questions about additional eligible or ineligible expenses can be directed to ucf.dnr@state.mn.us. Project Evaluation Projects will be evaluated on serving underserved populations as identified in the rubric. Examples of underserved populations include, but are not limited to, individuals living in areas with high exposure to negative environmental conditions, who are low-income, persons with disabilities, individuals with less than a high school education, those with limited English proficiency, populations experiencing low life expectancy, older adults, veterans, and persons of color. Negative environmental conditions may include high air pollution (Particulate Matter 2.5), and low tree canopy coverage (less than 30%). The applicant must provide a detailed description of the underserved populations served by the proposed project and the measurable benefits to those populations as outlined in the rubric. For resources to help identify underserved populations in your communities, please refer to the Underserved Communities Resource List. The commitment to underserved communities aligns with the State of Minnesota's policy of ensuring fairness, precision, equity, and consistency in competitive grant awards. This includes implementing diversity and inclusion in grant making. The Policy on Rating Criteria for Competitive Grant Review establishes the expectation that grant programs intentionally identify how the grant serves diverse populations, especially populations experiencing inequities or disparities, or both. Competitive Grant Review establishes the expectation that grant programs intentionally identify how the grant serves diverse populations, especially populations experiencing inequities or disparities, or both. In addition to criteria listed above, applications will be reviewed and scored based on the overall strength of the proposal. This evaluation serves three purposes: • To help ensure the quality of the projects receiving taxpayer dollars • To distinguish among high -scoring projects if funding is insufficient to support all that meet application requirements • To rank remaining projects if funding allows