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June, 2000 Vol.5 No.6 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: JUNE 20, 2000
Editors: Paula Rosenthal, Montana Dept. of Natural
Resources (prosenthal@state.mt.us) phone 406/542-4284 Phillip D. Rodbell, USDA Forest Service - Northeastern Area (Rodbell_Phillip/na@fs.fed.us) phone (610) 975-4133, and ANNOUNCEMENTS THANKS FOR YOUR SUBMISSIONS! Paul Revell, Tony Dietz, David Swenk, Tina Schweitzer, Paul Dykema, and Jackson Bird are among the contributors to the newsletter this month. Thank you! Remember, you can submit information to Phillip Rodbell or to me at the email address above. Submissions are due by the 20th of each month for the upcoming issue, but often we can add something right up until the last day of the month. Remember, you can also view this newsletter on TreeLink (www.treelink.org). JIM LYONS TO LAND AT YALE Department of Agriculture Under-Secretary Jim Lyons has accepted a position on the faculty of Yale University's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies beginning in January 2001. Jim is one of the longest serving sub-cabinet officials in the Clinton Administration and, bar none, its single greatest advocate for urban and community forestry. His support has seen the federal budget for UCF rise from $2 million to $30+ million. U&CF COORDINATOR FOR ARKANSAS Patti Erwin is the U&CF Coordinator for the state of Arkansas. She succeeds Jim Northrum. Welcome, Patti. Here's how to reach her: Arkansas Forestry Commission 2780 North Garland Avenue Fayetteville, AR 72704 501/442.8627 MARK-UP FOR UCF The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies completed its work last week, establishing a mark of $31.52 million for Urban and Community Forestry (UCF) in the Forest Service State and Private Forestry budget for fiscal year 2001. This is a slight, roughly $256,000, increase from fiscal year 2000. Stewardship, Forest Health and Fire programs all had slight increases along with International Forestry programs; Economic Action and Forest Legacy were decreased, as was State and Private Forestry as a whole. House report language included an earmark of $250,000 for the Northeast Pennsylvania Community Forestry Initiative and a moratorium on funding Urban Resources Partnership activities in 2001 (due to concerns over audit findings). These items will be up for discussion in conference after the Senate subcommittee establishes its marks for State and Private Forestry. It should be noted that, in a historic twist last year, the Senate subcommittee completed its work before the House and had higher numbers for UCF in its FY2000 budget. Chairman Slade Gorton (R-WA) of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies has scheduled mark-up in the third week of June. IT'S SHOWTIME FOR CARA * Editor's Note: I have edited this article extensively to give you a brief, yet thorough idea of what's happening with this legislation. Though lengthy, this is important information that YOU need to know. There are incredible potential benefits for our programs. Keeping up with opportunities to affect change is half the battle! On May 11, The House of Representatives passed one of the largest pieces of conservation-oriented legislation undertaken in years by a 315-102 vote. Senate action will not be far behind. The Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA), H.R. 701 (H.Rpt. 106-499, Part I), boosts coastal restoration, wildlife recovery and parkland renewal funds with $2.8 billion annually in offshore drilling royalties. "On a bipartisan basis this Congress has approved one of the most comprehensive conservation bills in decades," said Resources Committee Chairman Don Young (R-Alaska), who with committee ranking member George Miller (D-Calif.) and other legislators, worked to craft the broad bill. The Senate panel has tentatively scheduled the bill's markup for June 14. The CARA bill would create the Conservation and Reinvestment Fund with $2.8 billion in outer continental shelf (OCS) oil and gas development royalties each year for 15 years. Under the measure, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) would receive its full $900 million - half for federal land purchases and half as matching grants to states for conservation purposes. Coastal states would get $1 billion for shoreline restoration. The bill also would earmark $350 million for wildlife conservation and restoration; $125 million for the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery program; $100 million for the Historic Preservation Fund; $200 million for federal and Indian lands restoration; and $150 million for conservation easements and species recovery. Another $200 million in interest generated by the CARA fund would be directed to payment in lieu of taxes ($125 million) and refuge revenue sharing ($75 million). Also accepted were provisions offered by Rep. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) to allow the Urban and Community Forestry Assistance Programs to be eligible for funds under the portion allotted to the Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman. The Udall Amendment passed unanimously. Congressman Don Young (R-AK) spoke passionately on behalf of the amendment, as did Congressmen Serrano (D-NY), Napolitano (D-CA), and Clayton (D-NC) among others. The amendment provided no additional funds, however, and puts UCF in direct administrative competition for a total $100 million pot to preserve farmland and rural forests (Forest Legacy). On the Senate side, an amendment to be offered by Senator Bingaman (R-NM), provides $50 million of permanent funding in CARA specifically for UCF activities. Regardless of what occurs in the Senate, UCF is in good position to be discussed in the conference committee and to garner additional funding on top of its line-item program. Your continued efforts to inform your congressional delegation about the value of UCF funding will yield results in 2001! 4TH ANNUAL ROCKIES/GREAT PLAINS U&CF CONFERENCEDickinson, North Dakota will be hosting the 4th Rockies/Great Plains Community Forestry Conference this July 12-14, 2000. The conference is sponsored by the Urban Forest Councils and State Forestry Agencies of Colorado, Kansas, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming, the City of Dickinson and the USDA Forest Service. This conference is designed to address the issues that challenge small community forestry programs. The conference allows participants to network with fellow community leaders and tree board members to learn how these challenges are being met across the Rockies and Great Plains states. Speakers will focus on where we have been and where we are going in arboriculture, how trees can work for your community, how agroforestry can provide additional benefits to the community, tree inventories, how to prepare your community for when a natural disaster strikes, unique ways of recruiting volunteers for your tree board and how to use these volunteers in tree planting projects. Participants are welcome to bring their families. There will be numerous activities available in Dickinson and Medora, including hiking, shopping in historic Medora, visiting the Dinosaur Museum in Dickinson, driving the scenic route of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and other park activities. An important goal of this conference will be to make it affordable for people from small communities with limited budgets. Registration fees and housing costs have been kept to a minimum thanks to donations from local businesses in the Dickinson area and grants from the USDA Forest Service. Those wishing to receive more information or a registration for this conference can contact Jackson Bird, NDFS Community Forestry Coordinator, 1511 E. Interstate Ave., Bismarck, ND 58501. Phone number is 701-328-9945. E-mail is wbird@state.nd.us or one of the State Community Forestry Coordinators from one of the sponsoring states. NADF OFFERS SCHOLARSHIPS TO EVERY STATE FOR U&CF CONFERENCE Per Tina Schweitzer at NADF: As its Year 2000 Tree City USA initiative the National Arbor Day Foundation is seeking to increase participation by small communities. With funding support from the USDA Forest Service and a Foundation member, the Foundation is able to provide 100 registration scholarships to participants from communities of 10,000 or less population who attend the September 28-30,2000 Community Forestry At Its Best National Conference at Arbor Day Farm's Lied Conference Center in Nebraska City. It is our intent to provide these scholarships to two people from each state.
STATE COORDINATORS - Please notify us by June 30, 2000, if you would like us to provide complimentary registrations to two people in your state. We will ask that you supply us with the names of the recipients and a completed conference registration form for each recipient by August 11. Any spots that have not been spoken for by the June 30 deadline will be redistributed to other states. Any spots for which a completed registration is not received by August 11 will be redistributed to other applicants. We suggest that you allocate the two scholarships to whomever you feel would most benefit from them --local government officials or employees, tree board members, non-profit organization staff, citizen volunteers, or others from communities with a population of 10,000 or less. You might consider giving first priority to small non-Tree City communities if attendance would spark their participation in the program. Current Tree Cities under 10,000 population would also be eligible. We also suggest that first priority be given to those who have not previously attended a Tree City USA National Conference.
Conference registration will be covered by the scholarships. Recipients will be responsible for transportation and lodging. For additional info, contact Tina Schweitzer at NADF, 402/474-5655. FRED DENEKE TO SPEAK TO SMA THIS FALL Per Paul Dykema, Forestry Manager in Lansing, Michigan: Fred Deneke will be one of the presenters at the fall Society of Municipal Arborists Conference in Lansing, Michigan. Fred will discuss "What's in Store for the 21st Century" for urban and community forestry. The SMA Conference will occur October 1-4,2000 in Lansing Michigan. Contact Paul at: Telephone 517.483.4206 Fax 517.377.0047 UTAH COUNCIL PRODUCES SHIGO WORKSHOP VIDEO Per Utah U&CF Coordinator, Tony Dietz: The Utah Community Forest Council (UCFC) has produced a new 2-hour videotape of Dr. Alex Shigo's A New Tree Biology Workshop which he conducted in Salt Lake City December 13-17, 1993. The tape, to be released in June, 2000, has been professionally edited with descriptive captions and excerpts from Dr. Shigo's books. The tape highlights the cultural practices aspects of the workshop. The UCFC has produced this tape as a fundraiser for the administration of the council. Copies of the tape are selling for $39.95 each. Bulk rates are available. The tape is being advertised in Arborist News, Arbor Age, and TCI magazines this summer. Those interested in obtaining a copy should contact Spotlight Visual Communications at their website, spotlightvisual.com, or call them at (801) 561-7457, or fax (801) 256-9523, or mail orders are being taken at the UCFC, PO Box 961, Salt Lake City, UT 84110-0961. Master Card and VISA are accepted. GREENING GOVERNMENT THE WHITE HOUSE issued an Executive Order on April 22 making the head of each Federal agency responsible for ensuring that all necessary actions are taken to integrate environmental accountability into agency day-to-day decision-making and long-term planning processes, across all agency missions, activities, and functions. Environmental management considerations must now be a fundamental and integral component of Federal Government policies, operations, planning, and management. The head of each Federal agency is responsible for meeting the goals and requirements of this order. Related to urban forestry "Each agency shall strive to promote the sustainable management of Federal facility lands through the implementation of cost-effective, environmentally sound landscaping practices, and programs to reduce adverse impacts to the natural environment." Further "Each agency providing funding for nonfederal projects involving landscaping projects shall furnish funding recipients with information on environmentally and economically beneficial landscaping practices and work with the recipients to support and encourage application of such practices on Federally funded projects." For full text of the Executive Order, contact prodbell@fs.fed.us AH, VIRGINIA IN THE
FALL. Per Virginia U&CF Coordinator, Paul Revell: The Virginia Governor's Conference on Greenways and Blueways (water trails) will be held in Virginia Beach, Virginia October 1-3, 2000. There will be considerable emphasis on urban greenways at this conference. For more information, call Paul Revell at 804-977-6555 or revellp@dof.state.va.us The 5th Waynesboro Plant Health Care Workshop will be held in Waynesboro, Virginia on September 20. For more information, contact Dwayne Jones at 540-942-6735 GRASSROOTS LIST-SERVE
(GRS) The Grassroots Summit Leadership Team is currently developing the GRS list serve, with assistance from the US Forest Service, the National Tree Trust, and TreeLink. It is being developed specifically for the purpose of enhancing and encouraging communications among state councils and other related nonprofit organizations nationwide, and will be located on TreeLink's main web site A newsletter will be posted on the GRS list serve and e-mailed to everyone on the Grassroots Summit address book. Submissions to the newsletter are welcomed, and in fact, requested. Items suitable for inclusion are regional & national urban forestry information, state, regional & national events, success stories from other grass roots organizations. If you would like to be added to the address book, please call Melanie McDonald at 912-987-2736 or e-mail your information to gufc@alltel.net or prodbell@fs.fed.us THE NORTH CAROLINA MILLION ACRE PLAN The Million Acres Initiative is a Smart Growth strategy that builds the "green" infrastructure of North Carolina. Just like local communities that invest in roads, sewer and other public services, the Million Acres Initiative is a statewide effort to develop a network-or infrastructure--of protected open spaces. Protecting open space provides a number of benefits that contribute to the quality of life in North Carolina. These include, but are not limited to, improved water quality, reduced damage from flooding and other natural hazards, preservation of unique biological and cultural resources and traditional landscape characteristics, and increased outdoor recreation opportunities for our rapidly growing population." The whole report is available at http://www.enr.state.nc.us/plan.pdf BUILDING BLOCKS OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE With Forest Service funding, Georgia is preparing development standards that will detail out the principles of "Green Infrastructure". These design standards will be appropriate for a range of conditions along the gradient from city center to the rural hinterlands with a focus on maximizing natural resource management, enhancement, and conservation. The standards will be in a format that can easily be incorporated into local development standards and regulations, and will be available on the WEB and on CD ROM. Development of this product includes a public participation process. Key partners include GA DNR, the GA Forestry Commission, GA DOT, GA Urban Forest Council, local non-government organizations such as the Savannah Tree Foundation, Trees Atlanta, The Nature Conservancy, et al. The exciting news about this project is that it seems we will finally be able to employ our science on the ground - This work is widely supported as the technical piece supporting Gov. Barnes' open space initiative. The contract implementation is a partnership between the nationally acclaimed LA Firm EDAW, and Jim Urban and Associates. For more information, contact emacie@fs.fed.us WATERSHED WORK USING VOLUNTEERS Per David Swenk, Lexington, Kentucky: Read the Water Resources Impact article in the March 2000 edition titled, "Managing stormwater through citizen involvement in restoration practices: Watershed level planning in Lexington, Kentucky. It is an article describing mass watershed level urban reforestation applications using citizen volunteers. Also, There will be a Building with Trees seminar by the National Arbor Day Foundation in Lexington, KY September 12. The NUCFAC will be in Lexington as well October 12-14. MILLION FOR THE MILLENIUM The final selections have been made in the Conservation Education national competitive focused funding process, "Million for the Millennium". One million dollars were held back ($425,000 State and Private Forestry dollars) to distribute to selected Conservation Education proposals. All submittals were through Forest Service Field Offices, and the Washington Office received a total of 522 proposals totaling nearly $18 million. A total of 71 were selected for funding. Contact you regional Forest Service liaison to learn of the projects funded in your area. WOODSY OWL SAYS "LEND A HAND, CARE FOR THE LAND" If you haven't seen Woodsy in a while, he's changed. New outfit and new message! Would you like to have Woodsy Owl visit your neighborhood this spring bringing his message of land stewardship? Woodsy is most appealing to a younger audience, 4-7 years old. You can download coloring sheets and get more info from Woodsy's website http://www.fs.fed.us/spf/woodsy/ BACKYARD WOODS CAMPAIGN Backyard Woods targets homeowners and landowners with up to ten acres who have interest in creating and maintaining healthy trees and wooded habitat. Its Mission is to inspire small landowners to create and maintain healthy trees and wooded habitat through a public information campaign that champions an individual stewardship ethic supported by a broad community partnership. For more information, contact Mike Majeski, 651-649-5240 TREE PLANTING IN THE
U.S. The 1998 report by Moulton and Hernandez is now accessible online at: http://www.rtp.srs.fs.fed.us/econ/pubs/rjm001.htm The following are some highlights from the 1998 report: This year's planting of over 2.6 million acres is the second largest acreage planted to trees in any year since 1990. Private landowners did 90% of all tree planting. Nonindustrial private forest landowners planted more acres than any other group of owners (48% of the U.S. total) and had their best year since 1989. Forest industry planting declined moderately but remained large at 42% of the U.S. total. Tree planting on the National Forests (6% of the U.S. total) continued its downward trend, falling to its lowest level since 1960. More trees are planted each year on State forests than on any other category of State and local government lands. The Southern States planted the largest acreage of trees--79% of U.S. total--of any region in the country. Georgia was, once again, the top tree planting State. Contact: Bob Moulton at rmoulton@fs.fed.us or (919) 549-4032. URBAN GREENING STRATEGIES Trees for Africa's (TFA) newest publication, "An Introduction to Sustainable Urban Greening Strategies ~ for local government and partnerships with local government", is now available. The booklet was sponsored by The Royal Netherlands Embassy and was produced with assistance from the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF). It is a vital resource that supports TFA's activities and provides a valuable information and reference guide for future quotations. There is a great need for a resource of this type with the growing interest in urban greening. Local government and community groups have little access to material and TFA is inundated with requests for advice. This publication contributes towards capacity building and will assist both government and developing communities to recover from the years of poverty and degradation. See the following websites for further information: Newsletters can be viewed at http://www.junex.co.za/tfa/ NATIONAL MILLENNIUM ARBOR DAY CELEBRATION HELD IN SARASOTA, FL April 29 -- The International Society of Arboriculture in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture's Millennium Green project, the White House Millennium Council, and Toro Inc. held a National Millennium Arbor Day Celebration at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, FL on Saturday, April 29. Over 3,000 people attended the festivities. USDA was represented by Ann Keyes Kennedy, Deputy UnderSecretary for Natural Resources and the Environment. Anne Donovan, Special Assistant to the President for Millennium Activities, represented the White House Millennium Council. A descendant of a longleaf pine planted by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt along with members of the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930's at FDR's Little White House in Warm Springs, GA was planted and dedicated as the National Millennium Tree on the grounds of the Ringling Museum. A National Millennium Arbor Day Tree Trail consisting of 145 newly planted trees was also dedicated. The youth music group, Green Spirit of Orlando, FL sang and performed a special rendition of "Heaven Here On Earth" the official theme song for Millennium Green. Contact: Fred Deneke at fdeneke@fs.fed.us or (202) 205-137 ERICSSON INTERNET COMMUNITY AWARDS Ericsson, the Swedish data and telecommunications giant, has announced its second annual Ericsson Internet Community Awards (ERICA). The program is designed to identify the most creative and significant new Internet projects in the nonprofit sector and help bring those projects from idea to reality. Ericsson will award five prizes worth up to $100,000 each in-kind services to nonprofits that demonstrate how the Internet can be used to meet a critical community need. Applications are available online. http://www.ericsson.com/erica/ Deadline: July 17th, 2000 NEIGHBORHOOD GARDENS ASSOCIATION WEBSITE Currently the site includes basic information about NGA and gardens preserved. Plan to expand the site to include on online forum to deal with issues involving community gardens and open space preservation in urban areas. For more information about how NGA can help you preserve a community garden or open space check out www.ngalandtrust.org GROWING YOUR FUTURE WEBSITE www.upenn.edu/morris/uf/gyf.html Growing Your Future (GYF) is an environmental career day event for middle school students. The first event was offered to district-wide to Philadelphia school students embarking on their high school careers this past October 6. Philadelphia magnet and charter school offering environmental curriculums participated along with the professionals at work to give students more exposure to professional careers. Visit the site for more information on where to obtain a 'HOW TO' guide, curriculums presented, the partners, who to contact for more information, and fun photos of the day's events! FOUNDATION CENTER'S RFP BULLETIN http://fdncenter.org/pnd/rfp/index.html The RFP (Request for Proposals) Bulletin, published weekly on the Foundation Center's website, provides a brief overview of current funding opportunities offered by a foundation or other grantmaking organization. Interested applicants should read the full RFP at the grantmaker's Web site or contact the grantmaker directly for complete program guidelines and eligibility requirements before submitting a proposal to that grantmaker. Now you can receive notification of new RFPs via e-mail every Friday afternoon. To subscribe to this FREE service, just go to their website and add your e-mail address. The Ecology of Urban Soils June 11-13, 2000, St. Paul, MN. This three-day conference will focus on the importance of the soil in sustaining a healthy, living landscape. And, the best methods for obtaining that goal starting with the parties involved in planning through to those maintaining the final landscape. For more information call: 651-454-7250 or see the conference website www.scisoc.org/opae/shortcourse/UrbanSoil/top.htm GARDEN DAY, NEIGHBORHOODS GARDENS ASSOCIATION Saturday June 17th. A celebration of community-managed open space. More details coming soon. ROOTED IN COMMUNITY: HARVESTING THE POWER OF YOUTH July 28-30 2000, San Francisco, CA Rooted in Community 2000 is a National Youth Leadership Conference on Food Systems and Food Security. A uniquely youth-driven event, Rooted in Community workshops will be organized and co-facilitated by youth around themes of leadership development, sustainable food systems and food security, growing strong programs, and national movement building. Sponsored by: The San Francisco League of Urban Gardeners, Literacy for Environmental Justice, The American Community Gardening Association, and the Food Project. Some Scholarships are available! For more info, or to get a registration packet, message your address and contact numbers to: Dana@igc.org Websites One of the most extensive lists of invasive species can be found for the "eastern region" of the Forest Service on the following website http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/weed/Sec3B.htm The Sustainable Garden is an outdoor laboratory for students, faculty, home gardeners, and landscape professionals to learn more about effective multi-purpose solutions to regulating the flow of water, energy, and materials through urban ecosystems. http://wcufre.ucdavis.edu/gardbrocure.htm The Volunteer Inventory Manual that was developed by the Center and successfully used in many communities including Brookline, Boston, Springfield, New Haven, Stamford and New York City is now available on the Center's web site in PDF format. You can find it at the following address. Please feel free to distribute to communities that are considering undertaking a volunteer training program. http://www.umass.edu/urbantree/inventorymanual.shtml Imagine traveling a 2300-mile trail winding through cities, suburbs, and countryside from Canada to the Caribbean. The WAVE is a series of events to promote the East Coast Greenway, a multi-user path that is being created as an urban alternative to the Appalachian Trail (http://www.greenway.org/). TRY http://www.enature.com/ for some of the best interactive tree displays. TreeLink is developing a partnership with this website to display interactive Tree Flash Cards. JUNE 2000 8 - Hazard Tree Workshop, Cincinnati, Ohio. For more information, contact the National Arbor Day Foundation at 402.474.5655. 11-13 - The Ecology of Urban Soils; St. Paul, MN. For more information, contact Cindy Ash, cash@scisoc.org or 651.454.7250 or visit the website - www.scisoc.org/opae/shortcourse 17-22 - Eighth International Symposium on Society and Resource Management; Bellingham, WA. For more information, see http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~natresco/
22-24 - National Urban and Community Forestry Council meeting, Salt Lake City,UT UPCOMING EVENTS - MORE DETAILS TO COME! Jul 12-14 - Small Community Forestry Conference, Dickinson, ND July 28-29 - Land Conservation Sumit 2000: Advancing the Debate in the New Millenium. University of Minnesota. Aug 3-4 - Vegetation Management Assocation of Minnesota Annual Conference Aug 6-9 - ISA National Conference, Baltimore, MD Sep 9-12 - National Grassroots Summit, Nebraska City, NE Sep 18-20 - Fragmentation 2000: A Conference on Sustaining Private Forests in the 21st Century Sep 28-30, Tree City USA National Conference, Nebraska City, NE Oct - Midwest Environmental Education Conference, Iowa Oct 1-4 - Society of Municipal Arborist Year 2000 Conference. For more information, contact Ann Ashby at ashby.ann@acd.net Oct 27-31 - 2000 American Society of Landscape Architects Annual Meeting and EXPO; St. Louis, MO. QUOTE: "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore... Dream... Discover." -Mark Twain |