Urban Forestry Coordinators News

This electronic newsletter is published bi-monthly for state and federal urban forestry program coordinators and other interested individuals. Please print or copy this newsletter and distribute it to volunteer coordinators, state council chairs, and other interested individuals within your state or region, or forward it electronically to them. You can always find it on-line and archived at www.treelink.org.

Submissions to this newsletter are welcome and requested. Items suitable for inclusion are state and national urban forestry information, products or innovations, grant opportunities, and notices of regional and national urban forestry events. Please submit a maximum of two paragraphs to the editorial committee listed below by the 20th of the month for inclusion in the following month's edition.

The UCF Coordinators Newsletter is compiled and edited by:

Ed Macie, USDA Forest Service - Southern Region
emacie@fs.fed.us or phone 404-347-1647

Dick Rideout, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
richard.rideout@dnr.state.wi.us or phone 608-267-0843

Paul D. Ries, Oregon Department of Forestry
pries@odf.state.or.us or phone 503-945-7391

Phillip D. Rodbell, USDA Forest Service - Northeastern Area
prodbell@fs.fed.us or phone 610-557-4133

Pepper Provenzano, TreeLink
pepper@treelink.org or phone 801-359-1933

NEXT DUE DATE FOR SUBMISSION: February 20, 2005

Words for thought

"U.S. metro areas are the engines that drive the national economyÉ. To keep metro areas globally competitive, we must continue to invest in them through a strong Federal partnership and public/private partnershipsÉ. If U.S. metro areas were nations, 47 of the world's 100 largest economies would be in the United States."

-- U.S. Conference of Mayors President
Akron Mayor Donald Plusquellic.

Around The States  [back to top]

Nevada Field Position Available Soon
The Nevada Division of Forestry will have a Community Forester/Volunteer Coordinator Position open in Las Vegas. The position will perform urban forestry outreach and technical assistance to the communities in the southern third of the state. Please call either Lisa Calderwood, 702-486-5123 or Susan Stead, 775-684-2506 for additional information.

Council Helps Partners Make Anchorage Park Greener
With the support of over 60 volunteers, 27 large birch and spruce trees and over 100 shrubs and perennials were planted in AnchorageÕs new Abbott Loop Community Park on United WayÕs Day of Caring 2004. Volunteers learned proper planting techniques, picked up tree information brochures, got their hands dirty, and created a greener park in the process. Alaska Pacific UniversityÕs "Sustainable Communities" class volunteered their time to learn proper tree-planting techniques and used their newfound skills to guide volunteers throughout the day. Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich supported the effort by planting a birch tree and delivering honorary awards to members of the advisory committee that developed the park master plan. The project was organized jointly by the Municipality of Anchorage Parks and Recreation Department and the Alaska Community Forest Council. The project was a demonstration planting intended to provide a community service and generate interest for the formation of an Anchorage citizens group Ð Anchorage TREErific. More than 25 businesses and organizations supported the event through donations of funds, labor, and materials.

Sacramento Launches "GreenPrint"
The Sacramento Tree Foundation has been working with the elected officials within Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) region since 2001 to double the region's tree canopy over the next 40 years to maximize the benefits of the urban forest. Air quality, water quality, energy, real estate and businesses all benefit from trees, and this program aims to maximize those benefits by improving the urban forests in each municipality within the region. The Greenprint is embarking upon a public workshop series to solicit stakeholder and community involvement on the Draft Greenprint located on the STF website at
www.sactree.com.

Protecting Nature in Your Community
This detailed guidebook provides information on how local governments can preserve and enhance nature for current and future generations. The guide contains recommendations for municipalities, counties, park districts, wastewater authorities and other local government bodies. To obtain a copy, call the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission's publications department at 312-454-0400.

Conservation Design Resource Manual
This manual was written for use by local governments interested in modifying local comprehensive plans, zoning and subdivision ordinances, and other ordinances to accommodate the principles and practices of conservation design. Communities that choose to implement conservation design will see a variety of benefits, including reduced flooding, improved water quality, enhanced biodiversity, higher property values, higher tax revenues, and greater community cohesion.
Conservation Design Resource Manual (PDF, 2.26 MB)
Viewer for PDFs

Arborists Society Names New President
Lloyd Burridge is the new president of the Society of Municipal Arborists (SMA). The retired director of Parks, Recreation, and Forestry with the City of Windsor, Ontario. Burridge takes over the presidency with 25 years of experience in the Municipal Arboriculture/Urban Industry field. He also served as a founding member of the Municipal Specialist Certification committee.

The SMA announced the transition of officers following the resignation of former President Jude OÕConner. SMA board member Andy Hillman became vice president.

Georgia Conference Focuses on Health
GeorgiaÕs Healthy Trees, Healthy Cities, Healthy People conference was held Nov. 17-19 at Emory University in Atlanta. Kathleen Toomey (Director, GA Division of Public Health), Bill Sullivan, David Nowak, Nancy Wells (Cornell), Peter Harnik (TPL), John Librett (CDC) and Howard Frumkin (Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University) were among the speakers that gave compelling facts linking urban trees to public health. The key findings from the conference will be available in a custom publication, SHADE, available from the Georgia Urban Forest Council (GUFC) in February. Twenty five people stayed for the post conference, 12-mile, Healthy Bike Ride from the conference center through AtlantaÕs Freedom Park, where a tree provided by Trees Atlanta was planted. The conference kicked off GeorgiaÕs 2005 Arbor Day, which takes place on the third Friday in February. The GUFC office is relocating to Atlanta and the council welcomed new Executive Director Carol Ann Dalton on Jan. 2. More information is available at
www.gufc.org.

Survey: Oregon Cities Doing Better Job Managing Trees
More Oregon cities are taking a proactive approach to dealing with tree issues, according to a new survey report from the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) Urban and Community Forestry Assistance Program. ODF surveyed all 240 cities and found that 37% of the respondents reported having a tree planting or tree care program in their city, up from 26% in a similar 1992 survey. The survey also revealed:

• Nearly 1.5 million people, or 63% of OregonÕs incorporated population, live in a city with a tree planting and care program.
• Over 62% of cities responding have a municipal tree ordinance, 38% have tree advisory committees, and 9% have community forest management plans.
• Cities reported aggregate expenditures of $7.8 million on urban forestry activities in 2003, an increase over the $1.2 million reported in the 1992 survey.
• CitiesÕ top three urban forestry concerns are hazard trees (73%), root conflicts or problems (51%), and tree preservation or protection (46%).
• Primary benefits of managing trees in cities were reported as community pride, attractiveness, image (82%), enhancing community appeal to new residents, businesses, shoppers (71%), and shade (44%)
• Most commonly cited negative aspects of city trees were hazard trees (57%) the financial cost of maintaining trees (54%) and tree/utility conflicts (54%)

New Jersey Calculates Value of Parks and Forests
According to a study released by the Department of Environmental Protection, the State of New Jersey's 39 parks and 11 forests provide economic benefits amounting to at least $1.2 billion per year. The study, entitled The Economic Value of New Jersey State Parks and Forests, highlights that the 400,000 acre parks and forests system creates almost 14,000 jobs, positively impact property values and provide enhanced public services including education. The total calculation includes $812 million in benefits from recreation and tourism, including the indirect economic activity; $228 million from operating and capital expenditures and the indirect economic activity that those expenditures generate; and at least $140 million of ecosystem services, such as watershed and groundwater protection, flood control, water purification, wildlife conservation, biodiversity preservation, and storage of carbon, the leading greenhouse gas. An average of 15 million people per year visit the state park system's sites and facilities, versus a 50-state average of 11 million visitors per year. For more information: http://www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/

Massachusetts Lists Funding Methods
A survey of methods to fund urban and community forestry programs generated the following examples:

• "File insurance claims for damage to trees by cars." Some communities successfully get reimbursement for the appraised value of trees that have been damaged.
• "Begin a series of talks for landowners that would raise some money for a tree trust fund."
• The Nantucket Tree Fund holds an annual wine dinner and silent auction fundraiser for community trees.
• Fall River Tree Planting Program organized a celebrity basketball game between their mayor and City Council and a group of doctors. It was loads of fun, put the mayor and councilors in the spotlight for trees, and got constituents to attend.
• Some communities have successfully directed environmental damage mitigation funds into their tree programs.
• Many funeral homes make regular donations to the Mass Memorial Tree Program which fund tree planting in their communities.

District of Columbia Picks Urban Forestry Coordinator
Toni Jefferson has been named the urban forestry coordinator for the District of Columbia. As a former intern with the US Forest Service Public Affairs Office, Toni worked to increase public awareness on the importance of trees, conservation and the Forest Service's commitment to each. During her appointment with the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Urban Forestry Unit, she managed both the street tree maintenance and NeighborWoods tree adoption programs in addition to working with the community tree planting, street tree inventory and oak wilt programs. Toni aims to leverage her training in areas such as urban forest management, urban silviculture and urban law & management and her experience with community forestry programs to complement the Urban Forestry Administration team. As an arborist with DC UFA, her work will encompass three main areas; Forest Service sub-grants, community forestry education outreach and Special Tree Preservation. Toni is a graduate of the urban forestry program at Southern University A&M. She can be reached at: Latonya.Jefferson @ dc.gov or 202-645-6140.

On The National Front

Voters Approve $3.25 Billion in Open Space Funding  [back to top]
Despite a presidential election that revealed broad political polarization, voters in state and local elections came together to dedicate new public funds for conservation. In November's elections, 120 of 161 local and state measures nationwide were successful - a rate of passage of 75 percent. Since 1997, 1,000 out of 1,301 conservation ballot measures have passed in 44 states, raising over $25 billion in funding for land conservation-a passage rate of 77 percent. "American voters are remarkably consistent in approving three out of every four funding measures for land conservation, both before 9/11 and after, whether in recession or recovery," said Will Rogers, Trust for Public Land president. Read more at:
http://www.tpl.org/tier3_cd.cfm?content_item_id=17295&folder_id=186

Federal Appropriations (from National Alliance for Community Trees)  [back to top]
Omnibus appropriations legislation for FY 2005 was signed by the President in mid-November. The Forest Service's Urban and Community Forestry program will receive $32.4 million, which includes earmarks of $500,000 for the NE Pennsylvania community forestry program, $350,000 for the Chicago Wilderness program, and $150,000 for an urban watershed forestry collaborative in Baltimore. Factoring out earmarks, the result is a decrease of about $411,000 to the general program compared with the previous year. A congressional rescission of 1.424% further reduces the total appropriation to $31.9 million (close to the FY 2000 level), from a high of $36 million in FY 2003.

The conference report included strong language regarding allocations and performance measures: "The [House and Senate] managers have been addressing this issue for several years and are displeased with the slow rate of progress at implementing a better performance based allocation method which also includes a more fair assessment of State program needs and capability" The report directs the Forest Service to provide quarterly progress reports to the House and Senate and expects new allocation formulas to be fully implemented in FY 2006.

As part of the Forest Service Rangeland Research budget, urban forestry research projects in FY 2005 are drafted to receive about $3.7 million in combined support, funding research centers in Syracuse, Davis and Chicago along with other selected research projects.

Looking Ahead to FY 2006  [back to top]
Looking forward to February's release of the President's FY 2006 budget, the Administration has again signaled that discretionary spending in FY 2006 will be sharply restrained. OMB Director Bolten indicated that domestic spending will be very tight. Noting that fiscal 2005 domestic discretionary spending increased less than 1 percent while defense and homeland security increased 7 percent and 9 percent, respectively, he said that Òin times of war we must have priorities" and added that the administration will "be truly restrained in spending, especially outside the priority areas.Ó BushÕs fiscal 2005 budget proposal, submitted last February, called for major cuts, including program eliminations, in non-defense discretionary spending in fiscal 2006.

Advocates for a variety of programs will have to work especially hard in the coming year to prove the value of federal investment and justify a message of "no cuts" to any program. In January, powerful Appropriations chairs will both change due to GOP term limits. Thad Cochran of Mississippi will chair the Senate Appropriations while the House will be chaired by Jerry Lewis of California.

Remarks by UCF National Program Director (from National Alliance for Community Trees)  [back to top]
Mark Buscaino, national director of the federal Urban and Community Forestry Program, provided his remarks at the Best of the West conference on Nov. 3. The speech is a reflection of the re-focused direction for national Urban and Community Forestry Program. In general, it signals an increased focus on resource analysis, monitoring, and tools, with a strong call to action to unify state, regional and federal partners behind this vision. In the past year, the U&CF program has undergone a 10 year program assessment, a Congressional investigation, and the reformulation of its performance measures and allocations strategy, soon to be finalized.

The target of this speech was primarily state forestry agencies, with a call to action made to the states to: 1) Move beyond the long-standing debate of "urban vs. rural" focus within the program. The program will continue to serve both urban and rural communities. 2) Accept that monitoring, performance measurements and performance-based incentives are here to stay. The federal program and its state partners must produce data that show the difference made on the ground. 3) State agencies are matching only about 25-30% of federal funds they receive, but ought to strive to do more. Direct state funding, not local funding, should be used to match federal funds to build stronger programs in the long run. 4) The National U&CF Program is a forest resource management program, not a movement, nor a cause, nor a social empowerment program. The program must strengthen its focus on the forest resource and providing tools that our state and local partners can use to further resource protection. Three issue areas where the program is particularly relevant are: a) fire suppression and defensible space, b) invasive species, and c) loss of open space. 5) Everyone involved in U&CF should seek to obtain professional arborist's certification. 6) Disunity and lack of branding is hurting the program. Federal, Regional and State partners are not speaking as one voice and tend to view the program as local, state or regional in focus. Lack of national unity is hurting the federal program, which provides over 70% of the resources for state programs nationwide.

NUCFAC Receives 94 Pre-Proposals for 2005 Challenge Cost-Share Program  [back to top]
The National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council (NUCFAC) received 94 pre-proposals in response to the 2005 Challenge Cost-Share Grant Program. The total request for Federal funding is $7,780,400 that is matched with $9,414,767 by the applicant organizations for a total of $17,195,167 in urban and community forestry projects. Applications were received from 38 States and the District of Columbia. NUCFAC will recommend approximately $1 million Federal dollars in projects to the USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program that will subsequently be awarded as Federal Financial Assistance Grants.

Nature Helps Fight ADHD  [back to top]
Activities in "green" spaces such as farms, parks and even backyards often seemed to temporarily quell children's symptoms of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). "A Potential Natural Treatment for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Evidence from a National Study" by Frances Kuo, PhD, and Andrea Faber Taylor, PhD, of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign shows that hands-on structured outdoor activities improve behavior and produces positive results for students with ADHD. The complete report is available in the American Journal of Public Health, September 2004, vol 94, No. 9. Two general interest articles provide summaries: Nature Helps Fight ADHD - WebMD article
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/93/102307.htm
Great Outdoors May Ease ADHD Symptoms - Reuters article
http://www.healthypages.net/newspage.asp?newsid=4527

Forest Health News  [back to top]
Article: Disasters Draw Attention to Trees
The removal of tens of thousands of trees to stop the emerald ash borer and Asian long-horned beetle has drawn attention to the value of urban, suburban and even rural trees. Not since Dutch elm disease swept away most of those magnificent trees has there been such a very visible disaster. See http://www.torontofreepress.com/2004/garden110204.htm

Emerald Ash Borer in Indiana
The State will destroy 24,000 trees in seven square miles of LaGrange County. For more information, see
http://www.indystar.com/articles/1/187175-4431-102.html

Emerald Ash Borer in Michigan
The State of Michigan has devised a state-faciliated contract tree removal program in response to EAB. Communities (and homeowners) in the 13 county quarantine area are eligible to participate. See the full description at
http://www.michigan.gov/mda/0,1607,7-125-1568_2390_18298-101548--,00.html

Emerald Ash Borer in Ohio
Thousands of trees are being felled in Toledo and surrounding areas. Learn more at
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050106/NEWS08/501060408

Asian Longhorned Beetle in Carteret NJ
During its first phase of cutting, begun Nov. 29, nearly 1,000 trees were removed to halt the beetleÕs spread. Eventually, as many as 4,000 trees will come down. In addition to the tour and media coverage, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture is sending out an informational letter to all residents who are scheduled to lose a tree or trees on their property.

Grant Opportunitie$  [back to top]

EPA Updates Funding Directory for Environmental Projects
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's State and Local Capacity Building Branch has updated its funding opportunities directory. It is designed to help identify financial and technical assistance opportunities for efforts that reduce energy costs, improve air quality and public health, and enhance opportunities for economic development. "Funding Opportunities: A Directory of Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, and Environmental Protection Assistance Programs" provides an extensive list of grants available from EPA, other federal agencies, state governments, and private foundations. For more information, visit http://www.lgean.org/html/whatsnew.cfm?id=811

Response to Natural Disaster
The website below details funding that is available to do quick response studies after disasters. http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/qr/guidelines.html

Publications & Websites  [back to top]

Projects for Public Spaces
The September edition of this organizationÕs newsletter is recommended. http://www.pps.org/info/newsletter/september2004

More Green Infrastructure Mapping
The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments recently made a new series of green infrastructure maps available on their website. The three maps, Land Cover/Land Use Map within the Metropolitan Washington Region: 1999-2000, Impervious Surfaces within the Metropolitan Washington Region: 1999-2000, and Increase in Developed Land Map within the Metropolitan Washington Region: 1986-2000 are available at
http://www.mwcog.org/publications/departmental.asp?CLASSIFICATION_ID=4&SUBCLASSIFICATION_ID=32.

For additional information, visit these publications from the Environmental Law Institute:

Community Forestry in British Columbia
A new guidebook for community forests in B.C. has a great deal of content that is transferable to the states. View an excerpt at
www.forrex.org/publications/forrexseries/fs15.pdf

Natural Environments for Urban Populations
The US Forest Service North Central Research Station's Work Unit entitled "Natural Environments for Urban Populations" has a new website that highlights the efforts of the station in Evanston, IL: http://www.ncrs.fs.fed.us/4902/

Publications in Spanish
The ever-popular "How to Prune Trees" publication is now available in Spanish! The pdf can be viewed and downloaded from the following web page:
http://na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/howtos/ht_pruneespanol/como_podar_arboles.pdf
Also, a pdf of the Asian Longhorned Beetle Pest Alert can be found at:
http://na.fs.fed.us/spfo/albpestalert/alb_pa.pdf

Shigo On-Line
The book "100 Tree Myths" by Alex Shigo, one of the foremost authorities on trees, is now out of print. The book is online at: http://www.chesco.com/~treeman/hardtoget/100TM/index.html

Urban Canopy Goals in the Chesapeake Bay Region
The Proceedings from an Urban Canopy Conference held in Annapolis, MD last May are now available on-line at www.chesapeake.org/stac/pubs/wrkshops/UTCReport.pdf along with guidelines developed by a chartered subcommittee:
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/pubs/Guidelines_for_Urban_Tree_Canopy_Goals_11_2004.pdf

Watersheds Special on the Weather Channel
After the Storm, a television special about watersheds, was co-produced by the Environmental Protection Agency and The Weather Channel and premiered in 2004. Free VHS copies of After the Storm (EPA 840-V-04-001) are available from the National Service Center for Environmental Publications at 800-490-9198 or ncepimal@one.net. Showings of After the Storm are scheduled for:

10 Top Resources Featured on TreeLink
New items in the WoodNotes Quarterly -- 10 great resources for leaders/planners/architects/arborists and anyone in the trenches, including:

• Going Green! A 10 minute multimedia presentation designed to move the movers and shakers.
• 11 Simple Steps for Working the Press
• A Conservation Design Resource Manual
• NeighborWoods Guidebook

Job Opportunities  [back to top]

Visit the TreeLink jobs page at http://treelink.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=3 for a variety of employment opportunities.

Continuing Education  [back to top]

Visit the current Calendar of Events at www.treelink.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=4 on TreeLink.