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HomeState & Private Forestry News
April 2017
Provide Abundant Clean Water

Line drawing of trees growing on a slope.
Profile of a forested filter strip. (Illustration by Matt Arnn. 2016. Urban Watershed Forestry Manual Part 2. NA-TP-01-06. USDA Forest Service, p. 43.)

About 60 million Americans rely on drinking water that originates on the national forests and grasslands. Sustaining healthy, resilient forests and grasslands protects water resources; it also ensures fish and wildlife habitat and space for recreation, which contributes billions of dollars to the U.S. economy every year. More than half of America's freshwater flows from public and private forest land. Sustaining these ecosystems is an efficient and cost-effective means of protecting water quality compared to investing in artificial means of flood control, water purification, and other water infrastructure.

The Forest Service also works to sustain trees and ecosystems in urban areas. Urban Watershed Forestry sets watershed-level goals for managing the urban forest as a whole, rather than by site or jurisdiction, in order to reduce forest loss and increase forest cover. To support this work, the Northeastern Area published a three-part Urban Watershed Forestry Manual, available on our Web site. Part 1 covers Methods for Increasing Forest Cover in a Watershed; Part 2 is about Conserving and Planting Trees at Development Sites; and Part 3 is an Urban Tree Planting Guide.

Did you know? 
The Forest Service meets population demands by improving, maintaining, and conserving the health of the ecosystems we manage. Providing abundant clean water is part of the Forest Service's goal to provide benefits to the public.
 
New Video on Urban Tree Canopy Tools

BALTIMORE --- The Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) suite of tools has enabled Baltimore and other cities (including New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Denver, and Detroit) to create policy and implement practices to achieve greater tree cover. A UTC assessment completed for the multi-State Chesapeake Bay Watershed helps to plan, implement, and monitor enhancements in tree canopy and to translate those enhancements into water quality improvements. Communities can use UTC assessments to achieve a host of benefits beyond water quality, including reducing the heat island effect, improving well-being and neighborhood satisfaction, increasing biodiversity and, in some cases, reducing crime. A video created in collaboration with the University of Vermont Spatial Analysis Lab, provides an overview of Urban Tree Canopy Assessments. Watch the video on YouTube.

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Reminder! ... Call 811 Before You Dig

People planting a tree
(Illustration by Juliette Watts. 2013. Why would anyone cut a tree down? NA-IN-01-12. USDA Forest Service, p. 34-35.)

ARLINGTON, Va. --- Before you plant any shrubs or trees, or install fencing, a deck, or a mailbox, the Common Ground Alliance reminds you to call "811" a few days in advance. Doing this will alert you to the presence of any underground utility lines where you plan to dig. For more information, visit call811.com.  
Helping Migratory Birds Along the Way

International Migratory Bird Day, coordinated by Environment for the Americas, calls attention to bird migration in the Americas. The day officially takes place the second Saturday in May for the United States and Canada, May 13 this year. The day is also celebrated in Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. Visit the Migratory Bird Day Web site to learn more.

Scout Camp Wins Wings Across the Americas Award

SPOKANE, Wash. --- The Resica Falls Boy Scout camp in East Stroudsburg, PA, received the Wings Across the Americas Conservation Award for its golden-winged warbler habitat conservation program. Working with many partners since 2013, the camp has established and maintained more than 200 acres of breeding habitat for the warblers. This restoration project provides a model for camp organizations and other large, nontraditional forest landowners interested in forest stewardship and enhancing the ecosystem services provided by their land. Read a success story about this project on the Northeastern Area Web site.
American Tree Farm System Honors Michigan Forester

The American Tree Farm System (ATFS) recognized Mike Smalligan, a forester for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), with its 2017 National Leadership Award. Smalligan was presented this award on February 23 in front of 220 ATFS committee volunteer leaders from across the country at the 2017 ATFS National Leadership Conference in Greenville, SC. The award recognizes the efforts of extraordinary volunteers, the backbone of ATFS, who have been instrumental in motivating other volunteers, educating landowners and accomplishing his or her committee's on-the-ground goals.

The ATFS program works to give people the tools that they need to be effective stewards of America's forests, a role that Smalligan personifies in his leadership as an ATFS volunteer and as the Forest Stewardship Program Coordinator for the Michigan DNR. Smalligan has been an ATFS Inspector since 2008 and has served on his state Tree Farm committee since 2014. In that time, he has made a huge impact to his state program. Read more of the news release at our Web site.

High Incidence of Lyme Predicted for the Northeast

After more than 20 years of study, researchers are able to predict the number of cases of Lyme disease a year in advance. Listen to or read the story on the NPR Web site, and check out the link in the story to SHOTS: Health News: "Did you get bit by a Lyme-infested tick? Here's what to do."   
Project Learning Tree Offering GreenWorks! Grants

Project Learning Tree awards GreenWorks! grants of up to $1,000 to schools and youth organizations for environmental service-learning projects that link classroom learning to the real world. The annual application deadline is September 30 for funding that will be distributed in December. Learn more at the Project Learning Tree Web site.
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Planting Healthy Air

A webinar presented by Rob McDonald, lead scientist for The Nature Conservancy's Global Cities Program, documents how tree planting can help to ensure public health in particular locations. Register for the Webinar on how trees can make cities more livable at extension.zoom.us. The Webinar is planned for April 25, 2017, at 12 pm (MDT).
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Vertical Urban Forestry

BALTIMORE --- The Spring 2017 edition of the Leaf Litter newsletter contains an article on vertical urban forestry, including photos from cities around the world. The vertical space of one building can hold the equivalent of 2 acres of on-the-ground plantings.  View the article on Biohabitat's Web site.
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Upcoming Meetings

International Society of Forest Resource Economists, New Orleans, LA, May 30 - June 1, 2017. Learn more at the Mississippi State University Web site.

Society for Freshwater Science, Raleigh, NC, June 4 - 8, 2017. Learn more at the Society for Freshwater Science Web site.

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Editor's Note

Send items for inclusion in "State and Private Forestry News"to rburzynski@fs.fed.us by the first of the month in which you want the item to appear. Include a related photo as either a jpg or tiff file with a resolution of 150 dpi or higher. As part of the text include a full-sentence caption for the photo and photo credit. If the photo is from a published or copyrighted source, also send the permission.