Photo: City of WilmingtonWilmington has been awarded a $1.5 million no-required-match federal grant to support its urban forest program. “This proactive investment will help us prioritize higher-risk trees, improve public safety, reduce costly emergency repairs, and support more strategic, equitable tree planting throughout our community.” Wilmington’s urban forest includes a variety of species that range from newly planted to more than 100 years old. There are more than 30,000 street trees on more than 450 miles of city-owned streets and about 2,500 trees on 40 miles of N.C. Department of Transportation-owned roads. Wilmington’s Landscape Maintenance Division staff maintain the urban forest through pruning, removing trees that have declined due to disease, storm damage or are structurally unstable, and, when feasible, plant new trees to replace those that have been removed.