The South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Resource Conservation and Forestry Division has awarded $9,000 to the Kingsbury County Conservation District for an Urban Forestry project through the Coordinated Natural Resources Conservation Grant Fund. This project will stimulate the development of innovative and effective community forestry projects throughout the county. Projects this grant will assist with include community tree inventory assessments, replacement of ash trees, development of a community forestry action plan, and educational outreach. Ultimately, this grant will bring attention to trees in town and how communities can plan ahead for the invasive Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) that has been confirmed in the Southeastern region of South Dakota. Windbreaks and community trees across the state are composed of more than a third of ash species and so this project will bring awareness for why it is important to strategically plan in both settings and how tree diversity can strengthen the natural resources in Kingsbury County.

The South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Division of Resource and Conservation Division is working with Miner and Roberts County Conservation Districts to utilize the state's TreePlotter (Tree) Inventory subscription. Foresters on the Community Forestry team go out in the field in these communities and train volunteers from the community who will be collecting the data. The training includes introductions to tree species identification, accurate measurement techniques, and use of the TreePlotter app. This ongoing project will bring Urban Forestry and its important to light in smaller communities and inspire them to take ownership in caring for and enhancing their community trees. This will be extremely important since Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has been confirmed in South Dakota. Communities will need to assess the financial burden of EAB and how they can strategically plant and maintain trees in their communities for success in the future.