TIFTON — At the behest of the Tifton Tree Board, the Tifton city council is looking into applying for the Trees Across Georgia grant program.

City council members unanimously agreed to submit an application to the program at their Sep. 18 meeting, following a request made by their tree board at their previous session.

Michael Mitchem, a representative of the Tifton Tree Board, reported that the board had been crafting a proposal to use the grant money for a part-time position and plantings and removals of trees in disadvantaged areas of the city.

He explained that the Georgia Forestry Commission funded the grant program, which operated on a four year term that allowed grant holders to request up to $300,000 per year, well above the board’s proposed maximum budget of $100,000 per year.

However, the program was a reimbursement grant, meaning the city would have to provide funding for the project in order to receive money from the grant.

Mitchem reported that the proposed part-time position would help the board handle community outreach and continued maintenance of the trees grown by the board. He also expressed interest in reassessing the city’s tree ordinance to better protect city trees on right-of-ways.

The application was approved for submission as part of the city council’s consent agenda.