With the approach of Arbor Day April 25, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection on Monday announced 15 urban forestry grants to encourage tree planting and tree management best practices in communities across the state and awarded Tree City USA designations to 19 communities and the University of Connecticut in Storrs for their commitment to tree care during the past year.

Waterford is among the communities that will receive one of the grants, and Groton is among the communities to be named a Tree City USA.

The largest urban forestry grant of $30,000 was awarded to the Urban Resources Initiative in New Haven, which will use the funding to advance outreach through a Comprehensive Urban Forestry Marketing Strategy.

"With these grants we are encouraging scenic beauty and healthy eco-systems in our communities,” DEEP Commissioner Rob Klee said in a news release. “These grants also support the work and recommendations of the state Vegetative Management Task Force and Governor Malloy’s Two Storm Panel by ensuring that we plant the ‘right trees’ in the ‘right places,’ that urban trees are properly pruned and managed, and that we continue to provide a foundation for coordination and communication among local tree wardens, residents, and the electric utility companies.”

In Waterford, $6,000 in grant funds has been awarded to the Eastern Connecticut Conservation District to create a demonstration riparian buffer at Mago Point.

Funds for the grants were available as a result of the state’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. RGGI is a multi-state program designed to control carbon emissions from facilities that generate electricity.