Charles County Tree Planting

About this program

Chesapeake Bay Trust’s Charles County Tree Planting program offers grants from a $50,000 pool (typical requests $5,000–$20,000) to increase urban and rural tree cover in Charles County to enhance habitat, water quality, and natural cooling. Allowable costs include site preparation (soil amendment, invasive removal), native trees and planting materials, planting labor, educational signage (must display County and Trust logos), community engagement/education, two-year maintenance, Title Report processing tied to the Charles County Long-Term Protective Agreement, and project management costs for nonprofits. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis from established project managers (e.g., 501(c)(3) organizations, consultants, contractors, public agencies, schools, conservation districts, for‑profit landowners) as well as private landowners and small homeowners’ associations; landowners unable to serve as project managers may submit sites and the Trust will arrange contractor-led implementation. Projects required by permit/enforcement or that lead to financial benefit are ineligible; per-tree costs are evaluated against a $100–$600 standard, match is encouraged but not required, and applicants apply via the Trust’s online portal.