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: JULY 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
Find State
Coordinators for UCF Programs Online
The Cooperative Forestry website has been
updated to make it easier to find the name of state coordinators for the Urban
and Community Forestry program. Users can now click on the state or territory
and find the name of the state coordinator where they live. Users can also
click on the administrative number of the region for an alphabetical list of
state coordinators within that region. Visit this webpage online at http://www.fs.fed.us/spf/coop/ucf_contact_state.htm
For web design information, contact Mele Fong at
(202) 205-1589 or mfong@fs.fed.us.
For content information, contact: Luz Parris-Sweetland at (202) 205-1685 or lparris@fs.fed.us
Senate Mark-Up for UCF
The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee
on Interior and Related Agencies completed its work on June 20, establishing a
mark of $31.021 million for Urban and Community Forestry (UCF) in the Forest
Service State and Private Forestry budget for fiscal year 2001. As indicated inthe chart below, this is a
slight, roughly $125,000, increase from fiscal year 2000. Economic Action and Forest Legacy had slight
increases from 2000, but there remain significant differences between House and
Senate marks this year in these line items.
Senate report language included an earmark of $1 million for Forest Park
in St. Louis and $700,000 for Chicago Wilderness, and language restricting the
Forest Service from implementing any change to its allocation formula, without
first consulting the committee, that would result in any decrease in funding to
State programs. These items will be up for discussion in conference after the
July 4th recess.
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|
|
|
FY
2000
|
FY
2001
|
FY
2001
|
FY
2001
|
|
|
|
|
Final
|
President's
|
House
|
Senate
|
|
Programs
|
|
|
Enacted
|
Proposal
|
Action
|
Action
|
|
Forest
Health Management (FHM):
|
62,075
|
62,842
|
63,794
|
63,383
|
|
Cooperative
Lands Fire Management:
|
27,169
|
32,504
|
30,000
|
33,042
|
|
Cooperative
Forestry (CF):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forest Stewardship
|
|
29,833
|
29,407
|
31,454
|
30,454
|
|
Stewardship Incentives
Program (SIP)
|
0
|
3,250
|
0
|
--
|
|
Forest Legacy Program
|
|
29,933
|
59,768
|
10,000
|
30,000
|
|
Urban and Community
Forestry
|
30,896
|
39,471
|
31,521
|
31,021
|
|
Economic Action
Programs
|
|
20,198
|
17,267
|
14,246
|
23,486
|
|
Pacific Northwest
Assistance Program
|
7,856
|
6,822
|
6,822
|
9,880
|
Forest Resource Information and Analysis
|
0
|
0
|
5,000
|
0
|
|
Subtotal,CF
|
|
|
118,716
|
155,985
|
99,043
|
124,841
|
Subtotal, State and Private Forestry
|
207,960
|
251,331
|
192,837
|
221,266
|
International Forestry Programs
|
(3,500)
|
10,000
|
4,500
|
5,000
|
Total, State and Private Forestry
|
207,960
|
261,331
|
197,337
|
226,266
|
CARA Drags on
At this point in time, it
is unclear when and if the Conservation and Reinvestment Act will be taken up
in the Senate. Although the House
overwhelmingly supported the legislation, Senate members remain concerned about
its perceived impact on private landowners in the West. The House Bill offers the potential of
significant increases for the national Urban and Community Forestry Program.
MIXED
RESULTS ON GPRA REPORTS
Under the
Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), agencies were required to produce
performance results by March 31, 2000.
Intended to help Congress and the public assess how well agencies are
performing, the reports were analyzed by the Mercatus Center, an independent
research center affiliated with George Mason University. The agency receiving the highest marks for
its report was the U.S. Agency for International Development. The Departments of Transportation and
Veterans Affairs were also rated highly.
The National Science Foundation and the Departments of Commerce and
Agriculture produced the worst reports.
The agencies were best at articulating results-based goals, making the
reports accessible to the public, and including baseline and trend data to put
their performance measures in context, the Mercatus Center reported. The most common weaknesses of the agencies
were in supplying cost data, assessing the reliability of their data, and
showing that agency actions were responsible for making a difference in the
performance measures. The Mercatus
Center urges agencies to apply the same standards to GPRA reports as are
required of Fortune 500 companies. A
team has been formed to review and improve reporting by the Forest Service
urban and community forestry program.
Their first meeting will be in July.
Contact Rita Stevens for more information, 202-205-1384.
Federal Group of Urban Forestry Coordinators Meet
On June 12-15, Forest Service Urban
Forestry Coordinators and State counterparts met in Charleston, SC. The theme of the meeting was “Strengthening Urban
Forestry for the Future”. Cooperative Forestry Director Larry Payne led a
discussion on Urban Leadership Strategy.
Burney Fischer, State Forester of Indiana and Chair of the Urban
Forestry Committee of the National Association of State Foresters, gave an
update on the National Urban Community Forestry Advisory Council. Some of the
presentations included Performance Measures by the Government Accounting
Office, Grassroots Funding Initiative by Trees New Mexico, and Urban Forestry
Research. Participants also visited several urban forestry projects around
Charleston during a half-day tour. The Southern Region hosted the meeting, and
former Forest Service employee Terry Tipple served as facilitator. Contact. Luz
Parris-Sweetland at (202) 205-1685 or lparris@fs.fed.u
NUCFAC Selects 2000 Challenge Cost-Share Program Recipients
The National Urban and Community
Forestry Advisory Council has recommended 12 projects to the Forest Service for
funding. Federal funding in the amount of $785,176 will be matched with
$1,150,553 by the successful applicants for a total of over $1.9 million in
projects to benefit the national urban and community forestry program.
Recipients of the 2000 grants were selected from 83 proposals submitted in
three different categories including: Research and Technology Development;
Education, Communication, and Outreach; and Creative and Innovative
Projects. Forest Service Chief Mike
Dombeck will release details of the individual recipients in an upcoming news
release. Contact: Suzanne M. del Villar at delvr@lodelink.com or (209) 536-9201.
Nominees Sought for National Urban and Community Forestry
Advisory Council
The Forest Service is requesting
nominations by July 14 for four positions on the National Urban and Community
Forestry Advisory Council (NUCFAC). The Advisory Council supports education,
projects, and groups related to urban and community forestry; and seeks to
establish sustainable urban forests for all communities. The positions will
serve from January 1, 2001, through December 31, 2003. The four positions
seeking nominations are: 1) a person representing a national non-profit
forestry and conservation citizen organization; 2) a person representing
city/town government; 3) a person representing academic institutions with an
expertise in urban and community forestry activities; and 4) a person who is
not an officer or an employee or any governmental body, who is a resident of a
community of less than 50,000 as of the most recent census and who has been
active in urban and community forestry.
Contact: Suzanne M. del Villar, Executive Assistant to NUCFAC, at delvr@lodelink.com or
(209) 536-9201
Grassroots summit, Sept. 9-12
The leadership team for
the Grassroots Summit has completed its work in preparing the agenda and
logistics for the event to be held in Nebraska City, September 9-12. The working sessions will focus on
“Strengthening Our Skills” in developing issue-oriented campaigns, and
successful educational and fundraising initiatives. Plenty of time is built in for formal and informal sharing and
networking. Generous sponsorship by
National Tree Trust and USDA Forest Service is making scholarships available to
107 participants (50 to State Councils, 42 to nonprofit organizations and 15 Alliance
for Community Trees members). Government
and for-profit orgnanizations must pay the full $500 fee. Copies of the registration brochure are
available from 540-231-2411 or vufc@vt.edu
Southern Group
of State Foresters Meet
On June 4-7, the Southern Group of State
Foresters held their annual meeting in Macon, Georgia. The theme of the meeting
was “Landowner Assistance in the New Millennium”. A management consultant from KPMG Consulting, Aaron Estis, spoke
on Public Services and Change, covering demographic projections, technological
tools and customer expectations for government services. Neil Sampson
summarized the changing character of the nation’s forests, forest landowners,
and concerned publics. An academic in the field of information technology, Dr.
E Michael Staman, spoke on “Winning Customers with the Web”. Throughout the
meeting, the Regional Forester, Elizabeth Estill, the Deputy Regional Forester
for S&PF, Bruce Jewell, and the Cooperative Forestry Director, Larry Payne,
participated in a number of discussions with the State Foresters. Topics
included the changing character of program clients, budget allocation issues,
current legislative issues, the sustainability study of southern forests, and
the Forest Inventory and Analysis program.
As is customary, the States’ Management
Chiefs, Fire Chiefs, Urban Foresters, and Information and Education Chiefs held
concurrent working sessions with Forest Service program managers throughout the
meeting, and forwarded recommendations to the State Foresters at the conclusion
of the meeting. For more information, contact Larry Payne at lpayne@fs.fed.us or (202)
205-138
Riparian Forest
Buffers in Maryland: Measuring Success
Maryland DNR Forest
Service has completed Phase I of a major project to evaluate the effectiveness
of tree planting efforts aimed at restoring forests on agricultural lands, or
riparian forest buffers. This project was funded in FY 1999 as one of the first
Watershed and Clean Water Action Grants. The grants are an effort to target
forest stewardship funds in ways that address or support watershed restoration
and water quality improvement.
Maryland has been a key partner in
accomplishing the Chesapeake Bay Program goals to establish new riparian forest
buffers (RFB) along 2010 miles of stream and shoreline. RFB's help prevent pollutants
generated on the land from reaching streams or rivers and serve a critical role
in providing stream shade, aquatic habitat, and food supply. The pilot phase of
the project was used to develop a protoc0l for survival monitoring, collect
detailed information on buffer survival and stress factors, and to establish
height patterns for buffers over a range of buffer ages. Phase 1 completed
intensive field data collection targeted in the Monocacy and Gunpowder River
Watersheds. Gunpowder sites are predominantly converted pasture. Monocacy is a
combination of pasture and row crop.
Findings
Survival through the past two
drought-plagued summers was lower than preferred but still higher than
anticipated and adequate in most locations. Weeds were identified as a mjor
contributor to mortality pointing the need to pay attention to maintenance
until crown closure begins. Some specific findings:
- Sites averaged 9+ species of shrubs and
trees.
- The most successful survivors of planted
species were green ash, black walnut, dogwood, sycamore and loblolly pine.
- The most common species occurring from
natural regeneration were box elder, green ash, and cherry.
- Over 80% of sites met minimum standard of
200 trees/acre and over 30% of sites met stocking level of 400 trees/acre.
- An average of 50% of planted trees
survived. With natural regeneration included, 86% of sites had planned
stocking.
- Height growth averaged 1.84 ft/year with
crown closure estimated in 10+ years.
- Weeds and invasive plants including
multiflora rose, mile-a minute weed, and Japanese honeysuckle were on 87% of
sites and 39% of the plot area.
- Although in different parts of the State,
no significant differences were noted between watersheds except that natural
regeneration was higher in the Monocacy.
Future Work
In addition to this pilot phase of
tree survival monitoring, stream survey and temperature-based monitoring has
begun in the two target watersheds. This data along with stream survey work coordinated
with the Maryland Biological Stream Survey, will help assess the effectiveness
of buffer establishment. Similar work will continue through 2004 as part of the
Potomac Large-Scale Watershed Restoration Project. Using the protocol
established and tested here, survival data will be collected on buffer
plantings statewide in Year 2.
For more information: contact Anne
Hariston-Strang, MD DNR Forest Service at 410-260-8509 or at
astrang@dnr.state.md.us OR Al Todd, NA Watershed Program Leader at 410-267-5705
BUILDERS
ENCOURAGED TO ENTER "BUILDING WITH TREES"
AWARDS
OF EXCELLENCE COMPETITION
Conservation-minded
builders and developers are invited to enter the 2001 Building With Trees
Awards of Excellence competition, sponsored by The National Arbor Day Foundation
in cooperation with the National Association of Home Builders. Deadline for entries is August 15,
2000. The Awards of Excellence
competition is part of the Building With Trees Recognition program, which was
created in 1998 to recognize builders and developers who save trees during
construction and land development. The
annual Awards of Excellence honor the projects that best exemplify Building
With Trees conservation concepts.
Residential, commercial, retail, industrial, public, and mixed-use
projects of all sizes are eligible.
Only completed developments can be entered, with projects of 200 units
or more considered complete if at least 75 percent of the homes have been
built. Projects must also be submitted
within three years of completion. To
receive entry information, contact Jeff Bargar, Awards Coordinator at (402)
474-5655.
GRANT
OPPORTUNITIES
Below is an interesting Free Newsletter for
Nonprofits. Articles this month
included Membership campaigns, resolving board conflicts. The Grantsmanship Center Magazine, P.O. Box
17220, Los Angeles, CA 90017
Watershed
Assistance Grants, River Network
Deadline: August 15, 2000
The purpose of the
Watershed Assistance Grants (WAG) program is to support the growth and
sustainability of local watershed partnerships in the United States.
For the purpose of this
grant program, a "watershed partnership" includes interested and
affected parties in the identified watershed. This coalition of targeted stakeholders will serve to promote
watershed protection and/or restoration by resolving identified watershed
problems and issues. The review process is competitive: in the pilot year 1999,
6% of the proposals were funded with award amounts ranging from $1,300 to
$30,000. This year, grants will range from $1,500 to $30,000.The final grant
recipients will be announced no later than November 10, 2000. Fund can be used
for partnership building activities.
Funds can not be funds for the direct purpose of on-the-ground restoration
projects (i.e. purchasing of planting materials, tools, erosion control
materials, etc. For application and
more information see the River Network website.
http://www.rivernetwork.org/wag.htm
Metropolitan Life Foundation 2000 Awards for Excellence
in Affordable Housing
Deadline: August 4, 2000
The Maryland-based
Enterprise Foundation (http://www.enterprisefoundation.org/), with funding from the Metropolitan Life Foundation
(http://www.metlife.org/), seeks to
recognize and share the important work done by
community-based nonprofit organizations or Tribally Designated Housing Entities across the
country that own, develop and/or
operate affordable housing with the Awards
for Excellence in Affordable Housing. Grant awards of $25,000, $15,000 and $10,000 will be made in
each of two categories -- Supportive
Housing and Property and Asset
Management – and may be used to cover any need of the winning organizations. Visit the Enterprise
Foundation's Web site for eligibility
criteria and to download an application form.
Contact: Samia Malak Tel: (410) 772-2436
www.enterprisefoundation.org/members/2000MLawards.asp
Websites
National
Biological Information Infrastructure:
The NBII is an electronic gateway to biological data and information
maintained by federal, state, and local government agencies; private sector
organizations; and other partners around the nation and the world. www.nbii.gov
Integrated
Taxonomic Information System ( www.itis.usda.gov
). The Agriculture Dept. is the lead
agency in this. The ITIS database allows
searching for species by scientific name, vernacular name or taxonomic serial
number
Water
Resources Impact is a bi-monthly publication of the American Water Resources
Association. Their URL is http://www.awra.org
Conferences
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.
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
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
Please
consider the following training workshop that will occur in Brooklyn
Park, MN this September
25-27. It is entitled "Firewise
Communities" and provides information on how to protect homes from losses
due to wildfires.
This is becoming an
increasing threat to our communities, especially as they grow and expand into
more rural areas. It hits us in what we
consider more "urban" sites too, don't forget about the Long Island,
NY fire of a few years ago. You can
find out details, dates, etc. at the following address:
http://www.firewise.org/communities/
Trees,
People, and the Law National Conference
When: September 26-27, 2000
Where: Lied Conference Center, Arbor Day Farm,
Nebraska City, NE
Description: Municipalities, other government agencies,
utilities, private contractors and landowners often find themselves involved in
litigation from incidents related to trees.
Consequently, the rights, duties, and liabilities that these entities
have with regard to trees is an area of increasing interest and concern. This conference is designed to provide a
background for understanding the issues surrounding trees, people, and the law.
Contact: Conference Services at
888-448-7337 or conferences@arborday.org.
This Trees,
People, and the Law National Conference is conveniently followed by The
National Arbor Day Foundation's biennial national conference on community and
urban forestry. Community Forestry At
Its Best: A national conference for
Tree City USAs and other communities that care about their trees is scheduled
for September 28-30, 2000. A full
brochure can be found on our web site at
www.arborday.org/programs/cfabNatlConfBrochure.html.
Brownfields
2000 Research & Regionalism: Revitalizing the American Community October
11-13 Atlantic City Convention Center
Brownfields 2000 will
feature national and international research efforts as well as regional
strategies to help revitalize communities.
Registration is FREE but space is limited so organizers request that
conference attendees register in advance.
Meals can be purchased.
Registration from and other information is online at
www.brownfields2000.org or call 1-877-343-5374.
Beyond
Raking: Tools and Strategies for Sustaining Our Parks
SAVE THE DATE: Saturday
October 21, 2000
Organized by City Parks Association.
More info to come.
Regional
"Building With Trees" seminars, designed to help construction and
green industry professionals retain trees during building and land development,
are being offered by The National Arbor Day Foundation in various cities across
the country. Dates and locations of the
day-long seminars are: Madison, WI on
Tuesday, August 29, 2000; Lexington, KY, on Tuesday, September 12, 2000;
Charlotte, NC, on Tuesday, October 17, 2000; and Chicago, IL, on Wednesday,
October 18, 2000. The seminars are
presented by The National Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with The National
Association of Home Builders. Phone
402-474-5655
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.
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.
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