Construction Damage, Severe Storms, and Tree Failure Analysis
Eric North, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Larry Costello, University of California Emeritus & Oracle Oak LLC
September 12, 2018 1:00pm-2:15pm EDT
***
The TCUSA portal at the Arbor Day Foundation website is up and accepting 2018 applications
***
Stop by the ODF booth at the League of OR Cities!
September 27-28
Say Hi, "talk trees" with us, arrange for an onsite visit, and pick up urban forestry information.
***
International Urban Forestry Congress (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
Sept 30-Oct 3, 2018.
"The Urban Forest - Diverse in Nature"
This is a unique partnership, combining the PNW Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture's Annual Training Conference, Tree Canada's Canadian Urban Forest Conference, and the Urban Tree Diversity Conference. Note that listed conference costs are in Canadian dollars.
***
Society of American Foresters National Convention
(Portland Oregon)
Oct 3-7, 2018
FYI: the SAF convention has urban forestry tracks and CEUs.
***
Partners in Urban and Community Forestry Conference
(Irvine, California)
Nov 7-8, 2018
***
Deadline for HEAL Cities Grant Proposals
November 16, 2018
$5000-$15,000 grants to help cities implement health-building projects. How about tree-lined walking paths??
***
2019 Municipal Forestry Institute
(Oregon Garden Resort, Silverton, OR)
Feb 24-Mar 5, 2019
Please see article at right.
***
Ongoing: PNW-ISA classes on tree care
For upcoming classes go
HERE
|
 |
|
Helpful Links and Information
Tree City USA (and other Arbor Day Foundation programs):
***
Here is the
*** From noted urban forestry professor Bill Elmendorf @ Penn State. An excellent UF plan template (suitable to include in your TCUSA application).
***
Urban Forestry Best Management Practices for Public Works Managers
Other links of interest:
Want to know more about the "nuts and bolts" of Green Infrastructure and Low Impact Development? Check out these recently revised OSU extension
Low Impact Development Factsheets
and online course
Green Infrastructure Solutions Across the Urban Rural Continuum
***
Interested in learning more about urban forestry carbon offset efforts? Read
this article
from CityLab.
***
Not urban forestry, but this excellent article on prescribed burning in California will help you understand the forest management decisions facing forest managers in the west.
***
Do you want to prepare your community for wildfire? Consider becoming a
FireWise USA Community. Contact
Kristin to learn more.
|
|
Kristin Ramstad
Urban & Community Forestry Program Manager
503-945-7390
Katie Lompa
Community Assistance Forester
541- 480-3790
|
|
Community Tree Connections (CTC) is a periodic publication by the Oregon Department of Forestry, Urban and Community Forestry Assistance Program. Our mission is to help Oregonians improve their quality of life by promoting community investment in our urban forests. Subscriptions to this newsletter are free and available by contacting ODF. CTC is published in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service. The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
|
|
|
|
|
Hello Everybody!
It's that time of year again to show how your city recognized and cared for its urban forest this past year. Head on over to the Arbor Day Foundation website
to start your annual Tree City USA (TCUSA) application. Whether it is your city's 43rd application or its first, this is an autumn ritual for over 3500 cities nationwide. The deadline for Oregon TCUSA applicants this year is December 14th.
Questions? Concerns? We are here to assist you. The information in this newsletter will answer many of your questions. You can now even view a
webinar
on how
|
|
 |
| Happy Tree Planters in Beaverton - Photo: City of Beaverton |
|
to fill out your Tree City applications!
If you are not interested in Tree City USA, you can read about urban forestry carbon offsets, Green Infrastructure, and prescribed burning in California (in the Helpful Links section). Also, please check out our calendar of events for new information, consider sending a city staff member to the Municipal Forestry Institute, and enjoy your "Click of Trees" at the bottom of this newsletter.
We're looking forward to reviewing your city's Tree City USA applications!
Kristin Ramstad
Oregon U&CF Program Manager
|
|
Why Become a Tree City USA?
Oregon cities gain from Tree City USA and TCUSA Growth Award recognition in many ways. Specifically, Oregon TCUSAs older than one year can compete for Arbor Day "Boost" grants,
|
|
|
Arbor Day in the City of Sweet Home Photo: City of Sweet Home |
and staff and tree board members of Oregon Tree Cities may often be eligible for Oregon U&CF conference registration discounts and scholarships.
To learn more about the Tree City USA program and Growth Awards, take a look at the Tree City USA manual. If your city wants to apply for Tree City USA recognition for the first time this year, please contact Katie Lompa.
From the Manual: "Tree City USA is the framework for a healthy, sustainable urban forestry program in your town. By becoming a Tree City USA your community is ensuring that its trees will benefit your community in many ways, [including]:
- Reducing costs for energy, stormwater management, and erosion control.
- Boosting property values across your community.
- Building stronger ties to your neighborhood and community.
- Honoring your community
- Educating people living in your city about the value of trees and the importance of sustainable tree management
- Increasing community pride."
|
|
|
Your Tree City USA checklist
As "veteran" Tree City USA recertifiers know, it's easiest to gather your materials first in a file on the computer used to access the TCUSA portal, so they can be uploaded easily when you have the portal open. Here is a list of what you will need to gather...
- A scanned copy (PDF) of your city's SIGNED and DATED 2018 Arbor Day proclamation.
- Current year photos of your Arbor Day events and other tree-related events throughout the year. The best Arbor Day photos are the ones with the TCUSA flag displayed. Tip:"medium" resolution photos (instead of high resolution) are better to upload.
- Scanned copies (PDFs) of newspaper clips, event posters, and/or city council meeting minutes that describe the TCUSA ceremony in your town. The Arbor Day Foundation folks
|
|
|
Learning about trees starts early in Newport Photo: City of Newport |
take "celebrating" Arbor Day seriously, so please remember to show that your city has done something more than just reading a n Arbor Day proclamation. If you haven't celebrated yet this year, there is still plenty of time to do so; many Oregon cities celebrate Arbor Day in the fall.
- A PDF of a new tree ordinance or changes to existing tree code. Tip: you do not need to upload your unchanged ordinance every year.
- An estimate of volunteer hours. If your city has undertaken a community tree planting project this Spring, or anything else during the summer, try to capture the number of volunteers that were involved in whatever way suits your style. Also remember to track the time your tree board members have come together. Remember volunteer hours can be counted towards your $2 per capita requirement.
- Your city's tree/urban forestry-related expenditures as requested in the application Tip: you do not need to provide scanned receipts; you just need to show expenses that are reflective of your efforts.
- A list of tree committee/tree board members (for updating the list online), along with the dates the committee meets - if your city has a tree board or equivalent.
- Estimates of the number of trees your city has planted, pruned, and removed during 2018.
- Your City's Annual Urban Forestry Plan (see related article below).
- A list of tree-/urban forestry events your city engaged in through 2018. You may not need to upload this into the application, but it is good information to have when you are completing the application. Tip: Write down the "who, what, when, where, why and how" of each little and large event. At the least -- it will help you write next year's plan; at the most, it may inspire you to apply for a TCUSA Growth Award this year!
|
|
| What is an Annual Urban Forestry Plan?
The requirement to upload your city's annual urban forestry management plan in your Tree City USA application should not to cause you undue concern. It can be one-two pages long, and simply outline your city's plan for caring for its urban forest over the next calendar year. The plan can be drafted by city staff, or by the city's tree committee (with city permission).
|
|
|
Photo: Creative Commons |
- Is there a time during the year when you prune or plant trees? Put it in the plan!
- Does your tree committee meet a few times during the year? Put it in the plan!
We usually don't come to your city to verify if you are "working your plan," ('though we hope you are...), we just want to see evidence that you are thinking about what needs to be done to care for and maintain your city's trees.
If you would like to use one of our simple plan templates please contact Katie or Kristin. Also check out the Annual Work Schedule for Community Trees from Penn State.
|
|
| Tree Campus USA and Tree Line USA application deadlines are coming up!
The Arbor
|
|
|
| OSU proudly receives its first Tree Campus USA recognition in 2008 Photo: P. Ries |
|
Day Foundation also sponsors the Tree Campus USA program for colleges and universities, and the Tree Line USA program for utilities. ODF's U&CF staff review these applications and recertification forms too. Currently, the Tree Campus USA online portal is being worked on, and will be back online by the end of September. The Tree Line USA application is not yet available through an online portal, though we are told it will be soon.
In Oregon - Eastern, Western, and Southern Oregon Universities, Portland State University, University of Portland, and Oregon State University are Tree Campus USAs. PacificPower is our lone Tree Line USA.
Deadline for applications is December 14, 2018. Head to the Arbor Day Foundation website to learn more about these programs.
|
|
|
|
Municipal Forestry Institute (MFI) is Returning to Oregon
Feb 25- Mar 1, 2019
|
|
|
MFI participants photo: P Ries |
Sponsored by the Society of Municipal Arborists (SMA), MFI is a six day, high-level training retreat for urban forestry professionals in the leadership and managerial aspects of urban forestry. This intensive program delivers challenging, interactive, professional preparation for growing a more successful community tree program. Participants will learn and master leadership and management tools of program administration, coalition building, strategic thinking, program planning, and public relations.
Who should attend? People who plan, manage, and administer urban forestry programs and who want to become more effective leaders and managers, such as city foresters, city arborists, planners, tree wardens, state urban forestry staffs and municipal tree advocates will all benefit from MFI. MFI will help you take your urban forestry program to the next level.
Details: The 2019 MFI will be held at the Oregon Garden Resort in Silverton. Cost: $2299 (less for SMA members), which includes five nights lodging, meals, and all course materials for the duration of MFI.
CEUS Available: ISA CA, BCMA, Municipal Specialist;
SAF Certified Forester; APA/AICP Certified Planner. For more information about MFI, please go the MFI webpage
Scholarships Available: Cost-share scholarships for Oregon city forest management staff to attend MFI will be available through the ODF-UCF program . If interested, contact Kristin.
|
|
Your "Click of Trees" *
Your "reward" for reading all the way down... a link to an interesting tree feature(s) on the web.
*Credit to OPB's online newsletter and "Click of Zen" feature.
|
|
|
