2023 Natural Playscape Grant

Instead of offering the neighborhood tree grant as in the past, the RNeighborWoods team is switching things up a bit by giving your neighborhood an opportunity to apply for and enjoy a different kind of outdoor park experience, a natural playscape!

Our fantastic partners at the Park and Rec Forestry Department have created Lincoln Log-style beams that can be stacked together in a natural play area, that is fun for all ages to climb and sit on. The logs come from local Rochester trees that must be removed for various reasons. The creation of this playscape is just one of the ways the city uses wood debris from forestry operations. Utilizing wood in creative ways such as this prevents the city from having to pay to have the debris delivered to local brush dumps where it is burned, causing the immediate release of carbon into the atmosphere. This wood beam play area is a green way to recycle a natural product while at the same time creating an engaging play area for your neighborhood.

This natural playscape is originally assembled and used for the city’s Arbor Day celebration. Afterward, it will be available to the grant-winning neighborhood. The beams will stay at that park for ten months until the next grant cycle, June-April. The playscape will then be updated, utilized for Arbor Day, and awarded to a new neighborhood park for ten months. 

Applications can be filled out online and will be accepted through Thursday, April 20, at 3 pm.

The Park and Recreation Forestry department is responsible for delivery and removal of the playscape logs. Keep in mind that as kids enjoy the equipment, there will be natural breakdown of the logs. 

Have a comment? Join us on Facebook!