This newsletter is sent electronically (via email or fax) around the first of each month to state urban forestry program coordinators and Forest Service urban forestry staff. Please print or copy this newsletter and distribute it to volunteer coordinators, state council chairs, and other interested individuals within your state.

Submissions to this newsletter are welcomed, and in fact, requested. Items suitable for inclusion are regional and national urban forestry information, state events, products, or innovations that can be replicated by other states, personnel notes, and notices of regional and national urban forestry events. Please submit a maximum of two paragraphs by the 20th of the month for inclusion in the following month's edition.

NEXT DUE DATE FOR SUBMISSION: April 20, 1999
Editors: Gina Childs, USDA Forest Service, phone 847/866-9311 ext. 14, and
Paula Rosenthal, Montana Dept. of Natural Resources, phone 406/542-4284

Sections:
   Announcements
   President's Sustainable Cities Town Hall Meeting
   Laughter, Anyone?
   US Forest Service U&CF Updates
   Coordinators' Corner
   Calendar of Events
   Calendar of Events

Announcements

HAPPY ARBOR MONTH!!
Once again, it's time to grab that can of golden spray paint—decorate the shovel—and plant some trees! We realize that not every state celebrates Arbor Day in April, but best of luck to everyone who is planting this spring!

The Budget (from the NASF Washington Weekly Report)
Just prior to spring recess, both the House and the Senate passed their versions of the Fiscal Year 2000 Budget Resolution with extremely tight caps on discretionary spending figures. The two versions, to be reconciled in two weeks, lay out $536.6 billion for all discretionary programs, a level $20 billion below last year. This does not bode well for increases being sought for S&PF programs. For more information about the spending cap and what it means for programs in your state, please contact your State Forester.

Getting plugged in
Have you logged onto www.treelink.org recently? Have you visited the Community Future Forum yet?

9th NUFC Coming Up...
It will be August before you know it! Plans are underway for the 50 state coordinators meeting in Seattle. It's OUR meeting, help the planning committee make it the best ever! Contact Scott Plamondon (OR) for information, or if you have special needs or items for the meeting. Scott's number is 503/945-7391.

President's Sustainable Cities Town Hall Meeting

The National Town Meeting for a Sustainable America will be held May 2-5 in Detroit, Michigan. This event will spotlight successful sustainable actions that can be replicated across the country that will maintain economic prosperity without sacrificing the environment. Simultaneous events will also occur in communities across America and will connect with the Detroit meeting through interactive technologies.

In late March, USDA and EPA held a joint 'Green Infrastructure Forum' to develop a Learning Session for the Town Meeting. About 60 people from a wide range of organizations attended this forum and provided input to the learning session. The Learning Session 'Green Infrastructure' will include examples from the Urban and Community Forestry Program that link the management of vegetation across the rural and urban continuum.

To find out more information about the National Town Meeting for a Sustainable America, visit their website at www.sustainableamerica.org or call 888/333-6878.

Laughter, Anyone?

There were two guys working for the city. One would dig a hole, he would dig, dig, dig, the other would come behind him and fill the hole, fill, fill, fill. These two men worked furiously. One digging a hole, the other filling it up again. A man was watching from the sidewalk and couldn't believe how hard these men were working, but couldn't understand what they were doing. Finally he had to ask them. He said to the hole digger, "I appreciate how hard you work, but what are you doing? You dig a hole and your partner comes behind you and fills it up again!" The hole digger replied, "Oh yeah, must look funny, but the guy who plants the trees is sick today."

US Forest Service U&CF Updates

Reallocation Process
The US Forest Service continues to work with the allocation process for urban and community forestry. At this time, there is no full agreement between all parties on a process for allocation. Stay tuned...

Policy Paper
The Urban and Community Forestry Program has been asked to develop a major Policy Paper for US Forest Service Chief Dombeck to use when presenting in the Netherlands as well as at the American Forests Urban Forestry Conference.

Appropriations Update
Starting the second week of April the Legislative Appropriations Process will be in full swing. Outside witnesses will be providing testimony for State & Private Programs.

U&CF Research Update
Some research and development products that are available:

1. Tree Guidelines for San Joaquin Valley Communities. This guidebook addresses the benefits of urban and community forests and how you can reap these benefits for your community, neighborhood and family. It quantifies the benefits and costs of 'green infrastructure', describes optimal configurations of trees, recommends tree species for different situations, and identifies sources of funding and technical assistance. The study was conducted by scientists at the Forest Service's Western Center for Urban Forest Research and Education (WCUFRE) with funding from the Local Government Commission (LGC), USEPA Region 9, ISA Research Trust, City of Modesto, and the Elvinia J. Slosson Fund. A limited number of copies are available at a cost of $4 each for postage and handling from the LGC, Steve Hoyt: 916/448-1198 or 87/674-5159.
2. Sustainable Urban Ecosytems is the topic of a new cooperative regional research project that will involve the active participation of scientists and professionals in the Western United States. Fifteen scientists from 7 Western states have expressed interest in participating in this multidisciplinary project that will be administered jointly by Dave Burger of UC Davis and Greg McPherson of the Forest Service. For more information consult the website: http://urban.ucdavis.edu
3. Other publications to be released this spring by the Western Center and affiliates include: Carbon Dioxide Reductions through Urban Forestry; Guidelines for Professional and Volunteer Tree Planters; Proceedings of the Best of the West Summit, Proceedings of the Workshop on Volunteer-Based Urban Forest Inventory and Monitoring. To obtain copies of these documents contact WCUFRE at: 530/752-7636.

Coordinators' Corner

The toughest part of this newsletter is sharing information that makes us very sad. Craig Foss, Urban Forestry Coordinator for Idaho, will be taking several weeks off to spend time with his son Jesse who is now terminal with cancer. Your cards and letters are appreciated. Craig and Jesse's home address: 405 N. 17 St, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814.

Calendar of Events

April 5-9: Urban Planning and Environmental Management - Third International Symposium: A Better Environment for Future Generations." Pretoria, South Africa. Visit the website: http://upe3.up.ac.za for more information.

May 1-5: 4th Annual Symposium on Urban Wildlife, Tucson, AZ. Contact Bill Shaw at 520/621-7265 or visit their website at: http://ag.arizona.edu/urbanwildlife.

April 22: J. Sterling Morton (founder of Arbor Day) Birthday and traditional Arbor Day

April 30: Arbor Day in Nebraska - Home of Arbor Day

May 1-5: 4th Annual Symposium on Urban Wildlife, Tucson, AZ. Contact Bill Shaw at 520/621-7265 or visit their website at http://ag.arizona.edu/urbanwildlife

June 6-9: Keep America Growing: Balancing Working Lands and Development National Conference, Adam's Mark Hotel, Philadelphia, PA. For more information, contact Cindy Delaney at 802/655-7215 or visit http://www.farmland.org/KAG.html.

June 19-24: National Association of Environmental Professionals 24th Conference, Kansas City, MO. Call Fred Pinkney at 816/822-3304 or visit website http://www.naep.org/conference/kansascity.html for more information.

June 20-24: Air and Waste Management Association's (A&WMA) 92nd Annual meeting and Exposition: Bridging International Boundaries, Clean Production for Environmental Stewardship," St. Louis, MO. Visit http://www.awma.org/AM99/index.html.

June 23-26: 5th International Interdisciplinary Conference on the Environment, Baltimore, MD. Visit website http://www.assumption.edu/html/academic/conf/IICEcall.html or call 508/767-7557 for more information.

June 23-26: Making the Connection II: A Trails and Greenways Revolution, 2nd International Trails and Greenways Conference, Pittsburgh, PA. Call 202/974-5151 for more information.

August 1-4: International Society of Arboriculture 75th Annual Conference and Trade Show, Stamford, CT. Contact the ISA at 217/355-9411 for more information.

August 5-8: Midwest Environmental Education Conference, Stillwater, MN. Visit http://www.seek.state.mn.us for more details.

August 25-28: Shade Tree Wilt Diseases: A National Conference, Minneapolis, MN. Contact the American Phytopathological Society at 651/454-7250 for details.

August 31- September 5: The 9th National Urban Forestry Conference, Seattle, WA. For more information visit http://www.amfor.org/ or call American Forests at 202/955-4500.

September 11-15: Pioneering New Trails, National Society of American Foresters Meeting, Portland, OR. Visit the SAF website at http://www.safnet.org/calendar or call SAF at 301/897-8720.

If I believed the world would end tomorrow,
I would still plant a tree today.
     - Martin Luther