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 Urban Forestry 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 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: August 20, 2004

Words for thought

"It starts with him noticing the trees are all gone and having them replanted. Suddenly life springs up, and there are cafes and people where there were none before. Then it becomes, let's not just make it attractive but a healthier place. Trees reduce the heat-island effect and clean the air. Landscaping is labor intensive, so we provide a lot of jobs. That has turned into a model of economic development based on green technologies, attracting renewable-energy companies, and creating a sustainable landscaping industry."

-- Chicago Assistant Mayor for Landscape Initiatives Barry Burton
describing Mayor Richard M. Daley's vision

Around The States  [back to top]

Springfield, Mass., Wins Private Funding for Tree Inventory
Springfield, Mass., Wins Private Funding for Tree Inventory The Northeast Utilities Foundation presented a $40,000 grant to the Springfield Park Department to assist with plans for a full computerized inventory of the cityÕs street trees. The information will be placed on the city's computerized mapping system, and will be regularly updated, said City Forester Edward P. Casey. The U.S. Forest Service also contributed $40,000 for the inventory. Northeast Utilities created the foundation in 1998 to provide grants to communities, nonprofit organizations and public groups to improve education, social and economic conditions and to protect the quality of the environment. Superintendent of Parks Patrick J. Sullivan said the department is grateful for the support and guidance of Western Massachusetts Electric Co. "We believe their commitment to this initiative will enhance communication with their engineers, technical staff and our Forestry Division and will enable us to move forward with set-back plantings and tree removal programs." For more information, contact State Coordinator Eric Seaborn, eric.seaborn@state.ma.us

Survey Shows Support From Alabama Officials for Trees
In a recent survey of Alabama mayors, council members, municipal clerks, and city managers, each was asked to describe their awareness, knowledge, and level of support for urban forestry. The study revealed that AlabamaÕs municipal officials do favor urban trees and that there is an opportunity for even greater local government support for a community tree programs. Some of the key findings include:

• 89% said trees are very important in their community (this dropped to 67% when asked if urban trees were important to their citizens).
• The top three benefits of urban trees listed by the officials were increase in community pride (42%), increase in property values (42%), and air quality improvement (40%).
• The top three negative benefits of urban trees were debris removal (65%), tree disposal (59%), and the financial cost of maintaining trees (46%).
• 76.2% of the respondents said local government should maintain, remove, and dispose of urban trees on public property, 73.0% said local government should plant trees on public property, 35.4% said local government should provide urban forestry education to public, and 28.9% said local government should provide urban forestry technical assistance to citizens.
• The majority of the local government officials support utility line clearance of trees (67.0%) and preservation of trees during construction (59.0%).
• 19.4% strongly support tree topping (17.9% are strongly against tree topping).

Funding for the survey was provided through the USDA Forest ServiceÕs Urban & Community Forestry Financial Assistance Program. Completion of the survey helped fulfill an objective in AlabamaÕs Five-Year Strategic Plan to assess AlabamaÕs residents about urban forestry. For more information on this survey, contact Neil Letson at 334-240-9360 or letsonn@forestry.state.al.us.

Tennessee Urban Forestry Council Forms First Chapter
April 29, 2004, became a historic day for the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council when the first council chapter was established. After months of work and organization, the Memphis/West Tennessee Urban Forestry working group achieved chapter status. "The most difficult part to iron out was dues and membership," said Jennifer Smith, council executive director. "Once those issues were resolved, all parties agreed to move forward to form a chapter." Tennessee State Urban Forester Bruce Webster says chapters are important to involve individuals in urban forestry at the grass roots level. "Local problems are best solved at the local level, and the best way to get people involved is to engage them locally," Webster said. The Tennessee Urban Forestry Council was formed in February 1991 to extend the outreach and impact of the state urban forestry program.

Nebraska: Storms Over Fly Over Country
Spring has included severe storms in Nebraska. The town of Hallam was completely destroyed and many other small communities have seen some serious damage. The cities of Omaha and Lincoln received damage, but requests for assistance are coming from the small communities that do not have forestry or arboricultural expertise. You can view amazing pictures of the damage at Norris High School (a smaller rural school) at http://www.norris160.org/nsd.htm. This is typical of the damage that occurred. There are also good images of the Hallam area at http://www.crh.noaa.gov/oax/archive/hallam/hallam.htm.

Oregon Produces Video About Building With Trees
ÒDesigning With Trees In Mind: Enhancing Your InvestmentÓ is a new video produced by the Oregon Department of Forestry and Oregon Community Trees, the state urban forestry council. This video is unlike most others produced on the subject of building with trees, because it is designed to help builders and developers understand the value of protecting mature trees on construction sites. This 14 minute video chronicles the development of Village Weistoria, a neo-traditional planned development in Bend, Oregon. The project has won several awards, including the National Arbor Day Foundation/National Homebuilders Association Building with Excellence Award, and the GovernorÕs Livability Award. The video also covers the economic reasons why trees should be preserved, including testimonials from homeowners explaining how important the trees were in their home purchase decision-making process. The video is available in DVD format for $15 or in VHS format for $10. Shipping is $3. Order your copy by sending an email to Gail Gredler at gail@oregoncommunitytrees.org or call 503-580-2960. For more information, contact Paul Ries at pries@odf.state.or.us

Green Roofs and Brownfield Remediation in Chicago
Mayor Richard Daley has built the first municipal rooftop garden on City Hall and opened one of only five LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum-certified buildings in the country. A dozen more city buildings are expected to be LEED certified, including three libraries, several fire stations, a police station, and a refueling station for the city's newly purchased fleet of natural-gas vehicles. The Department of Environment, established under Daley in 1992, has overseen the remediation of 1,000 acres of brownfield sites. Chicago has lured green technology businesses, such as solar-panel manufacturers, by using the city's purchasing power. An entire sustainable landscaping industry has sprung up around the city's beautification initiatives. Daley has even hired a cadre of ambitious young assistants who answer directly to him on everything from improving wastewater management to overhauling the city's recycling program to restoring one of the largest wetland areas in North America, on the southeast side of Chicago. For more information, contact Suzanne Malec, smalec@cityofchicago.org

Certified Urban Foresters in California
The California Urban Forests Council (CaUFC) has initiated a Certified Urban Forester program. After three years of development and countless hours of work by the CaUFC Certification Committee and numerous volunteers, the first examination was conducted resulting in 15 new Certified Urban Foresters in California. The intention of CaUFCÕs Certified Urban Forester program is to recognize, encourage, and enhance the education, experience, and professional status of urban forestry professionals, while providing agencies, organizations, and companies a benchmark for identifying qualified professionals. The goals for this program are to:

• Encourage professional self-assessment by establishing achievement guidelines,
• Identify people with appropriate knowledge of the principles and practices of urban forestry,
• Recognize people who demonstrate a high level of competency in urban forestry,
• Encourage relevant and appropriate continuing education, and
• Raise the standards of the profession to benefit the environment and the public.

For further information about CaUFCÕs Certified Urban Forester Program or to apply for the next exam, visit www.caufc.org or contact Certification Manager Keith Kunkel at Keith@caufc.org

Green Roof Demonstration in Washington, DC
WAMU- 88.5 FM in Washington has aired a story on Metro Connection about the new green roof demonstration project at 1425 K Street, NW. The 3,500 sq. ft. section of roof was recently planted with 9,730 plants in a collaborative project of DC Greenworks, Casey Tree Endowment, Blake Real Estate (with many contractor/vendor contributions), and was planted by youth from Covenant House. NFWF/Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grants program and the DC Department of Health were lead funders. EPA, Bridges to Friendship, and others have participated. The intro to the story from WAMU's website is below.

Metro Connection copy . . . Green Rooftops

In DC, as elsewhere, construction is often hailed as a positive sign of economic 
growth. But the spread of concrete and pavement also brings some big city 
problems: excess rainwater runoff during storms due to all of the impervious 
surfaces and the development of sweltering "heat islands" - areas where 
temperatures run higher because of a lack of vegetation and an 
over-abundance of heat-absorbing surfaces. But as WAMU's Sissel Overgaard 
reports, local environmental groups have begun experimenting with a new way 
to soften the impact of development.

Seattle Partners Seek $50 Million to Save Urban Forest
Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels announced a plan to raise up to $50 million over the next 20 years from public and private sources to save the city's urban forests. "If we don't act, ivy and the other invasive species will choke our forests" and turn city greenbelts into "ecological wastelands," Nickels told about 100 people at the Cheasty Boulevard Greenspace. Nickels' goal through the Green Seattle Partnership is to restore the 2,500 acres most at risk by 2024. Restoring an infested forest is expensive at $20,000 per acre, officials say. To defray the cost, the city has formed a partnership with the Cascade Land Conservancy. The partnership hasn't lined up any big donors yet. "It's obviously ambitious, but people care about the environment here and they care about keeping the Emerald City emerald," said Steve Nicholas, the city's director of sustainability and environment.

The city owns about 3,700 acres of forest, about 60 to 70 percent of which is infested with invasive species and is likely to die within 20 years without action, said Nicholas. In addition to their aesthetic and recreational benefits, city forests help clean dirty air and act as a natural catch basin for runoff, said Mark Mead, city parks forester. Through the Green Seattle Partnership, the Land Conservancy and the city will seek funding from foundations, corporations and other donors. The city will split with the Land Conservancy the $100,000 of first-year startup costs to get the partnership, including the fund-raising campaign, started. The city's $50,000 share will come out of Nickels' existing budget.

On The National Front

U.S. House of Representatives Passes Interior Appropriations  [back to top]
On June 15, the House passed HR 108-542, providing appropriations to the Forest Service (Interior and Related Agencies). The appropriation awaits Senate action before the August recess and establishment of a conference committee to complete work before Oct. 1. Predictions are that this work will not be completed until after the presidential elections. Until appropriations legislation is passed, the agency will work under a series of continuing resolutions, extending application of the more generous Fiscal Year 2004 appropriations language. This FY 2005 mark of $32 million represents an 11% reduction from FY 2004 ($36 million).

Urban and Community Forestry -- The Committee recommends $32,000,000 for urban and community forestry, $39,000 above the budget request and $2,864,000 below the 2004 funding level. This recommendation includes $600,000 within available funds to continue supporting the northeastern Pennsylvania community forestry program. The Committee evaluated the urban and community forestry program this year and said that while the program has general merit, it needs better direction and focus, as well as a budget-allocation method, which allows funds to be focused on priority areas, rewards meritorious performance, and does not discriminate against States and areas with large, urban populations. The Committee said the Forest Service should immediately phase-in a new allocation method. The new allocation methodology should be in place in fiscal year 2005 and allow each State, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico $175,000 as a base allocation, and $75,000 for territories and former territories. After subtracting congressional priorities, base State and territorial allocations, $1,000,000 should be allocated for competitive grants recommended by the advisory committee and the remainder of the funds should be distributed according to the process under development by the Forest Service, the Committee said, and this process should allow the national office and regions to focus grants to particular problem areas of concern to the urban forestry community.

The full text is now available at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/cpquery/?&db_id=cp108&r_n=hr542.108&sel=TOC_200873&

USDA Secretary Announces Forest Service Grants  [back to top]
Secretary Veneman's has announced $1,155,756 in federal grants to 14 organizations under recommendation from the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council. This grant program is funded by the USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program. Recipients include: Earthcorps, Seattle, Wash; Tree Research & Endowment Fund, Champaign, Ill.; National Network of Forest Practitioners, Providence, R.I.; Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, Blacksburg, Va.; Local Government Commission, Sacramento, Calif.; University of Delaware, Newark, Del.; Community-Based Communications, L.L.C., Cheverly, Md.; Tree Musketeers, El Segundo, Calif.; American Forests, Washington, D.C.; Texas Cooperative Extension, College Station, Texas; Morton Arboretum and the National Working Group on Root Depth in Planting, Lisle, Ill.; Rainbow TreeCare Scientific Advancements, St. Louis Park, Minn.; and ArborMaster Training, Inc., Willington, Conn. The link to the news release is http://www.usda.gov/Newsroom/0241.04.html

Select Articles on Emerald Ash Borer  [back to top]
Emerald Ash Borer Found at Metropark
Crews began tagging and taking down damaged ash trees at Lucas County's Oak Openings Metropark, trying to stop the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer. http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040521/NEWS06/405210419/-1/NEWS

Ash Borers Extend Reach; 423 Trees Felled
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette - Fort Wayne, IN
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/fortwayne/news/local/8754479.htm

Funds Target Ash Borer in Four States
Michigan and three other states will share $28.2 million in federal funds to fight the emerald ash borer, which has destroyed thousands of ash trees, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Friday. ÒThe funding has been cleared through our administrative procedures this afternoon and will be issued shortly ... to ensure that there is continuity in the eradication efforts,Ó USDA spokesman Ed Loyd said. He did not have a specific date for the funds to be released. Michigan will receive $16.5 million, U.S. Rep. Nick Smith said in a statement released Friday night. The rest of the $28.2 million will be shared by Ohio, Maryland and Virginia, where the infestation has not been as widespread. The announcement came after several Michigan officials had complained that the federal funding promised by the USDA on March 23 had not been received.

Property owners who had to have trees removed and replaced because they were infected with the emerald ash borer would be eligible for tax credits under legislation approved by the Michigan state House. The House voted 75-31 to approve a bill that would provide a $100 income tax credit for residents who have removed and replaced infected ash trees. Republican Rep. Phil LaJoy of Canton Township introduced the bill. He said it will ease some of the financial burden on families struggling with the emerald ash borer. ÒIt will also increase awareness and encourage the public to take action against this devastation affecting so much of the state,Ó LaJoy said in a written statement.

Grant Opportunitie$  [back to top]

General Operating Grants for Nonprofits
Thirty two general operating grants are being offered for qualifying nonprofit organizations across the nation. These funds can be used for, but not limited to: salaries, utilities, program costs, rent/overhead, and building expenses. If interested, obtain a complete application packet at: http://www.nationalgrantsclearinghouse.com

Community Economic Development Planning Projects
Purpose: To assist eligible community development corporations in planning, developing organizational capacity, identifying potential projects, mobilizing resources, and developing a business plan to implement a project. Eligibility: Non profits other than institutions of higher education and faith based community development corporations. Deadline: 07/19/04 Contact: Barbara Ziegler Johnson, Office of Grants Management, 800-281-9519 or email ocs@lcgnet.com

Publications & Websites  [back to top]

Asian Longhorned Beetle
A new video can be viewed by going to this ALB website and clicking on "Interactive Movie" http://www.uvm.edu/albeetle/

ForestryUSA
Visit ForestryUSA, one of the most comprehensive sources of information on America's forestry and the forest products sectors available on the Internet. The site directories contain up-to-date links to major forest-related websites and services, including advertising conferences, career and employment opportunities. Visit at: http://www.forestryusa.com

TreeLink Resource Spotlight
The Resource Spotlight on www.TreeLink.org features: Tree Care, sponsored by Rainbow Treecare

• Description, Diagnosis and Management for Oak Wilt, Dutch Elm and Sycamore Anthracnose
• Pruning trees in urban landscapes - All major pruning types are illustrated and discussed in this excellent site presented by Dr. Edward Gilman, Florida State University.
• Improving Nursery Stock Ð Also by Dr. Edward Gilman
• Selecting, planting and caring for trees - Provided by the USDA Forest Service St. Paul Field Office, this page addresses a number of common questions about tree care.

Data on U.S. Cities Available
The following website has collected and analyzed data from numerous sources to create as complete and interesting profiles of thousands of U.S. cities as possible. It includes thousands of pictures, maps, satellite photos, stats about residents (race, income, ancestries, education, employment), geographical data, crime data, weather, hospitals, schools, libraries, houses, airports, radio and TV stations, zip codes, area codes, and user-submitted facts. If you ever need to research any city for any reason, from considering a move there to just checking where somebody you know is staying, visit http://www.city-data.com/

Protecting the Source
This all-new report from the Trust for Public Land and the American Water Works Association explains why watershed conservation is one of the best ways to protect water quality, and details on-the-ground strategies for watershed conservation. The 56-page report is intended for local governments, water suppliers and agencies, and community drinking water advocates. It is available for free download -- or can be purchased in paper for $15--on TPL's Web site. Additional information on watershed conservation, including case studies, tools, and resources, can be found on the Land&Water section of TPL's Web site. The Trust for Public Land conserves land for people to enjoy as parks, gardens and other natural places, ensuring livable communities for generations to come. For more information, visit them on the web at www.tpl.org.

Conservation Planning
Defenders of Wildlife recently developed a Conservation Network Design web section on its BiodiversityPartners.org website. The section was a product of a workshop where experts and practitioners in the field of conservation planning provided input on the latest theories and practices for identifying habitat priorities. The purpose of the web section is to provide resource managers and planners with practical information on developing a conservation network. It can be viewed at http://www.biodiversitypartners.org/habconser/cnd/index.shtml

Three Watershed Manuals Free to Download
Three manuals for watershed protection are available for download due to a cooperative agreement between the EPA Office of Wastewater Management and Office of Wetlands, Oceans, & Watersheds, and the Center for Watershed Protection (CWP). The CWP refers to the publications as the Urban Subwatershed Restoration Manual Series. The purpose of the manuals is to organize the enormous amount of information needed to restore small urban watersheds into a format that easily can be accessed by watershed groups, municipal staff, environmental consultants and others. Eleven manuals will be released in total throughout the next couple of months. Download them at http://www.cwp.org/USRM_verify.htm

Municipal Forest Management in Latin America
Hundreds and maybe even thousands of municipalities have their own offices and commissions working on forestry and the environment. Edited by Lyes Ferroukhi, this publication uses case studies from Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua to analyze this trend. Most municipal forestry efforts are small and lack solid technical support, and too often national forestry agencies see them as competitors, rather than potential allies, the publication says. To request a free electronic copy of this book in pdf format in English or Spanish, email Budhy Kristanty at b.kristanty@cgiar.org .You can download the book directly at www.cifor.cgiar.org

Cool Cities in Michigan
View the Michigan Cool Cities initiative at http://michigan.gov/gov/0,1607,7-168--94244--,00.html

Partnership Maps Wildland Urban Interface
The U.S. Forest Service and the University of Wisconsin (Madison) has released new scientific maps depicting the communities and lands within the wildland urban interface (WUI) across the lower 48 states. This is the first consistent nationwide representation of the WUI as defined in the Federal Register and makes possible mapping and analysis at national, state and local levels. In all, 42 million homes or 37 percent of the nationÕs total are in the WUI. These lands comprise 273,000 square miles or nine percent of the 48 states. The WUI, where houses meet or intermingle with wildland vegetation, is not only a high-value environment for users, but also a focal area for human-environment conflicts, such as wildland fires, habitat fragmentation, invasive species and biodiversity decline. Using geographic information systems, Forest Service and university researchers integrated U.S. Census Bureau housing data and U.S. Geological Survey National Land Cover data, to map the WUI based on housing data. While California leads the nation with more than five million homes within the WUI, North Carolina has the greatest area at more than 12 million acres. In 20 states, 50 percent or more of all homes are in the WUI.

The maps are available at http://silvis.forest.wisc.edu/Library/WUILibrary.asp . Additional background information is available at http://silvis.forest.wisc.edu/projects/WUI_Main.asp

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]

Calendar of Events   [back to top]

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