Healthy Urban Tree Canopy Program
HUTC was established in 2019 as a $5 million, 5-year commitment to address declining tree canopy and as a tangible result of the county’s Climate Change Adaption Plan.
HEALTHY URBAN TREE CANOPY PROGRAM
The Healthy Urban Tree Canopy (HUTC) Program is an initiative of Cuyahoga County to promote a healthy tree canopy in our county which has provided grant funds for tree planning, planting, and maintenance projects. It is a collaborative effort between the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, the Cuyahoga County Department of Sustainability, and Cuyahoga SWCD.
Since 2019 the HUTC grant program has awarded more than $4.75 million in funding support to municipalities, community development corporations, and other non-profits to help protect, restore, and maintain trees across Cuyahoga County. To date more than 11,000 new trees have been planted through the HUTC grant program.
In 2025, the HUTC Program will be shifting from a reimbursable grant-based model to a contracted services model. Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD), through resolution from its Board of Supervisors, will be administering the HUTC funds in Program Year 2025 (PY2025) and executing contracts on behalf of program participants to perform tree planning, planting, and maintenance activities. This programmatic change aims to improve efficiency and impact of the HUTC program, while reducing barriers and burdens to program applicants and awardees.
See below for PY 2025 HUTC application information.
NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE PY 2025 HUTC PROGRAM!
On April 25th, 2025 (Arbor Day) the PY 2025 HUTC Program was announced, providing $950,000 in programmatic support to eligible applicants for tree planning, planting, and maintenance activities throughout Cuyahoga County. Cuyahoga SWCD will be accepting project applications via the Neighborly Portal Monday, April 28th, 2025 through Friday, June 6th, 2025 at 4:00pm. See below for key program dates and deadlines, as well as links to the 2025 HUTC Applicant Manual and Neighborly Application Portal.
Any questions on the PY 2025 HUTC Program can be directed to: Harper Smith at hsmith@cuyahogaswcd.org.
HUTC PY 2025 Key Dates & Deadlines
- April 25, 2025 – PY 2025 HUTC Program Announcement; PY 2025 HUTC Applicant Manual released
- April 28, 2025 – Neighborly Application Portal open
- May 14, 2025 – PY2025 HUTC Applicant Webinar (virtual)
- May 22, 2025 – Cuyahoga SWCD Application Assistance Open Office Hours (virtual)
- June 6, 2025 – Applications due in the Neighborly Application Portal by 4:00pm
- July 11, 2025 – Anticipated announcement of Project Funding Awards
- July 17, 2025 – Mandatory workshop for PY 2025 HUTC awardees (virtual)
Download the PY 2025 HUTC Applicant Manual
**A link to the Neighborly Application Portal will be available on the Cuyahoga SWCD website on Monday, April 28, 2025.**
2025 REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS – URBAN FORESTRY
Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) is requesting general statements of qualifications (SOQ) for urban forestry and arboricultural services to implement various aspects of the Cuyahoga County Healthy Urban Tree Canopy (HUTC) Program and other Cuyahoga SWCD Urban Forestry Programs. Cuyahoga SWCD administers the HUTC program in partnership with the Cuyahoga County Department of Sustainability, Cuyahoga County Planning Commission and Cuyahoga County Board of Health.
SOQ are due by 4:00pm on May 23, 2025. Qualified firms and independent contractors are to submit a digital copy to jbartley@cuyahogaswcd.org.
SOQ are requested by the time and date specified and must clearly indicate the name, address, phone number and e-mail address for a primary contact person.
A pre-proposal meeting was hosted on Zoom on April 23 at 10:00AM. A recording of the Pre-Proposal Meeting is available here.
Questions and Answers related to the RFQ may be found here.
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