By Taylor J. Hale

Staff Writer

WISCONSIN RAPIDS – The city of Wisconsin Rapids will receive grant funds to help recover from July’s severe weather, which caused much damage in the area.

The DNR Urban Forestry Catastrophic Storm grant will help the city mend its urban forests that were devastated by the storms.

The grant will provide $50,000 to help with replanting and reforestation efforts in public areas like thoroughfares and parks.

Mayor Zach Vruwink said that some target areas would include Robinson Park and the Riverview Expressway. “Essentially, this will help us replant trees in our public areas,” Vruwink said in an interview with the City Times.

The city first applied for the grant, requesting $50,000, after the storm, and was awarded roughly $8,000 by the DNR in late 2019.

“The city initially applied for $50,000 and was awarded $8,000, but we were just made aware that after further review, they are able to award us the full $50,000 to support our efforts to restore the urban forests in the city,” Vruwink explained.

Vruwink noted the DNR did not provide an exact reason for the increased sum, but he feels the additional revenue will significantly aid the city. Reforestation work is slated to start this spring.

“Now that we have the full grant funding, it will give us a lot more boost to support our replanting efforts this spring and summer,” Vruwink concluded.

To learn more about the DNR Urban Forestry Catastrophic Storm grant, visit https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/UrbanForests/grants/catastrophic.html.