Trees for the Hart

Trees for the Hart is a grant-funded program providing trees to the City of Elkhart. The program is managed primarily by the Elkhart Environmental Center with assistance from Elkhart's Parks & Recreation and Buildings & Grounds Departments. 

The City of Elkhart was awarded $1 million in funding as part of the Inflation Reduction Act’s investment in the Urban and Community Forestry Program. The Urban and Community Forestry Program received $1.5 billion to support urban tree-planting, urban forest planning and management, and related activities, particularly in disadvantaged communities nationwide. Elkhart’s funds will be used through the city’s new “Trees for the Hart” initiative, which aims to energize the community to focus on how trees can benefit the City of Elkhart for years.

We plant trees in the community! We aim to plant 2,000 trees by 2028. But that's not all! We also aim to remove approximately 125 acres of land invaded by exotic species, and conduct outreach to over 35,000 people. This project focuses on the reforestation, awareness, and education of urban canopy in communities historically overlooked and plagued by environmental issues. All 6 City Council districts in Elkhart have areas that qualify for our tree planting efforts!