A nationwide survey commissioned by the National Association of State Foresters (NASF) was recently completed to assess key public perceptions and values related to forests.  The new results reveal a striking consensus among Americans:

• Voters strongly value the nation’s forests, especially as sources of clean air and water.
• Voters have an increased appreciation for the economic benefits provided by forests- such as good-paying jobs and essential products – than they were in previous years.
• Voters also recognize a variety of serious threats facing America’s forests, like wildfires and harmful insects and diseases.

Given these factors, seven out of ten voters support maintaining or increasing efforts to protect forests and trees in their state.Among the key specific findings of the poll are the following:

• Voters continue to value the nation’s forests highly, particularly as sources of clean air and water and places for wildlife to live. The survey found most voters are personally familiar with the nation’s forests: two-thirds of voters (67%) say they live within ten miles of a forest or wooded area. Voters also report engaging in various recreational activities that may bring them to forests. These include: viewing wildlife (71% of voters say they do this “frequently” or “occasionally”), hiking on outdoor trails (48%), fishing (43%), overnight camping (38%), hunting (22%), using off-road vehicles (16%), snow-shoeing or cross-country-skiing (15%), and mountain biking (14%).

More information and statistics from this survey can be found at the National Association of State Foresters website.  A copy of the full survey report can be viewed by clicking here.

Oaks are highly valued in urban areas for their aesthetic, environmental, economic and cultural benefits.  However, significant impacts to the health and structural stability of oaks have resulted from urban encroachment.  Changes in environment, incompatible cultural practices, and pest problems can all lead to the early demise of our stately oaks.

Larry Costello, Bruce Hagen, and Katherine Jones give you a complete look at selection, care, and preservation.  Using this book you’ll learn how to effectively manage and protect oaks in urban areas – existing oaks as well as the planting of new oaks.  You’ll learn how cultural practices, pest management, risk management, preservation during development, and genetic diversity can all play a role in preserving urban oaks.

Arborists, urban foresters, landscape architects, planners and designers, golf course superintendents, academics, and Master Gardeners alike will find this to be an invaluable reference guide.  Working together we can help assure that oaks will be a robust and integral component of the urban landscape for years to come.  For more information or to order a copy of this new publication, click here.

The State of California has embarked on an effort to encourage and promote sustainable land use planning through passage of legislation such as Senate Bill 375, and the funding of several grant programs.  Under Senate Bill 375, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) will prepare Sustainable Community Strategies (SCS) and include them in their Regional Transportation Plans (RTPs), while local governments will be crucial in helping their region meet greenhouse gas reduction targets through integrated land use, housing and transportation planning.

To assist with these efforts, a web portal has been developed to serve as a central clearinghouse for sharing currently available planning related information, guidance and resources.  The portal can be accessed under the ‘Take Action’ tab on the state’s Climate Change website at:  http://www.climatechange.ca.gov/action/cclu/

The web portal uses the structure of a local general plan to organize the relevant state agency resources and information.  Information in the portal is organized around general plan elements.  Users can access groups of resources by choosing from the list of general plan elements, or they can scroll through the full matrix of state agency programs.

Enjoy listening to this story on NPR’s “On Point”  program discussing the book Seeds: One Man’s Serendipitous Journey to Find the Trees that Inspired Famous American Writers, by Richard Horton. From the old maple in Faulkner’s yard to Melville’s chestnut and Muir’s California Laurel, this story explores the trees that inspired America’s famous writers.

New research funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 will help city planners make better decisions about their urban trees for a range of benefits, including energy savings and improved access to nature.

 

Researchers, led by U.S. Forest Service scientists, will hire field crews to gather information on the condition of forests from approximately 1,000 sites in five western states – Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington – to compile data for a comparative study on the health of trees in urban areas. The result will be a network of permanently located plots in urbanized areas that can be monitored to obtain information on their health and resiliency.

 

“This project will help city planners improve the quality of life in American cities,” said project leader John Mills of the Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research Station’s Resource Monitoring and Assessment Program. “Urban trees are the hardest working trees in America – they beautify our neighborhoods and reduce pollution.”

 

This is the first time in the Pacific states that systematic information is being collected on the health of trees in urban areas. Determining the current health and extent of specific urban forests will help forest managers better understand how urban forests adapt to climate change and other issues. Urban trees cool cities, save energy, improve air quality, strengthen local economies, reduce storm water runoff and enliven neighborhoods.

 

The study supports President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative (AGO) by helping planners determine where to establish urban parks and green spaces and how to maintain them. AGO takes as its premise that the protection of our natural heritage is an objective shared by all Americans. Parks and green spaces improve a community’s economy, health, quality of life and social cohesion. In cities and towns across the country, parks can generate tourism and recreation dollars and improve investment and renewal. Time spent in nature also improves the emotional and physical well-being of children and adults alike.

 

Urban forests will change as the climate changes — shifts in species composition, growth rates, mortality and susceptibility to pests are all possible. Having a baseline of urban forest conditions will help local resource managers and planners understand and articulate the contributions urban forests make, such as carbon sequestration, water retention, energy savings and quality of life for residents. Over the longer term, monitoring will help to determine if and how urban forests are adapting to changing conditions, and could shed some light on potential mitigations.

 

The project is being carried out in collaboration with the Oregon Department of Forestry, California Polytechnic State University, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Washington Department of Natural Resources, Alaska Department of Natural Resources and the Hawaii Urban Forestry Council.

 

Work on the initial plot installation will continue through 2013, with a large amount of data gathering planned for 2012.

 

The mission of the U.S. Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. As part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world.