Salisbury: Nearly $600,000 secured for urban forestry, parks projects
Includes funding for new bike park in Wilkins Township
Rep. Abigail Salisbury October 7, 2026 | 3:46 PM
BRADDOCK, Oct. 7 – New grant funding of $593,400 from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will support local park projects and urban forestry and tree planting programs throughout the region, state Rep. Abigail Salisbury announced today.
Salisbury, D-Allegheny, said the funding will expand recreational opportunities and involve more residents in environmental programs that can help them develop valuable job skills.
“In urban communities like ours, green spaces are essential to quality of life, Salisbury said. “The new funding will help us make the best use of those spaces by funding a bike park project in Wilkins Township and an open space plan in North Braddock.”
Salisbury said the funding will also support projects to involve residents in tree planting and stewardship, urban forestry and wood reuse programs, which can provide marketable job skills.
“We’ve seen the success of programs like Landforce’s Homewood-based urban sawmill, which recycles fallen trees into wood products while giving residents skills they can take to the workforce,” Salisbury said. “The new funding is going to help us create more of those opportunities.”
Salisbury said the funding includes:
- $250,000 to Western PA Conservancy to coordinate urban and community forestry in Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania and engage communities in planting trees and building local tree stewardship capacity in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Blair, Cambria, Erie, Fayette, Somerset and Westmoreland counties.
- $213,400, to Wilkins Township for the development of Stephen and Lucia Catarinella Bike Park, including construction of a pump track for cyclists, a pavilion, pedestrian walkways, an access drive, parking, installation of fencing, ADA access, landscaping and related work.
- $95,000 to Pittsburgh Conservation Corps to coordinate and fund an urban wood reuse project and urban and community forestry workforce development program in Allegheny County.
- $35,000 to North Braddock Borough for development of a comprehensive recreation, park and open space plan.
The funding comes from DCNR’s Keystone Recreation Park and Conservation Fund and Environmental Stewardship Fund, which support state parks, conservation and outdoor recreation.
More information about these and other Community Conservation Partnerships Program funding sources is available here: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dcnr/programs-and-services/grants/grant-funding-sources.