NA and National Program Update

1. NA and National Program Update Phillip Rodbell Acting National Program Manager USFS State and Private Forestry Urban and Community Forestry Program

2. 2008 Traverse City

3. Northeast and Midwest States • 20 States and the District of Columbia • 43 percent of the nation’s population in 2000 • 25 percent of the nation’s forests • 93 percent are non-federally owned

4. NA/R9 Merger Proposal • The focus is on improving delivery of S&PF in the East by making our organization consistent with the rest of the FS. • The proposal is open for public comment until July 9, 2009. • If you are interested in commenting, you can send them by Email to spf@fs.fed.us • The mission of S&PF is not changing, nor is our commitment to public service and to the conservation of state and private lands.

5. NA Goals and Objectives • Promote Sustainable Forest Management • Slow fragmentation; sustain productive forests; maintain healthy forests; protect watersheds • Enhance Capacity of Forests to Provide Public Benefits • Promote forest industry; renewable energy; protect lives and property; maintain benefits from community trees and forests

6. Core Urban Objectives • Assist communities in setting tree cover goals and policies. • Improve community tree and forest management. • Enhance the health of urban watersheds

7. Conditions and Trends

8. Conditions and Trends Forests, Water, and People Development Pressure on Forests and Drinking Water Supplies

9. Conditions and Trends 3,525 communities 2007 3,719 communities 2008

10. 2008 Program Outcomes Of the U.S. population that live in cities, suburbs & towns, State Foresters report that 78% live in communities that are managing or developing their urban forest resource (up from 72% in 2007). • 40% lived in communities that were fully managing their urban and community trees and forests, and • 38% lived in communities that were developing programs to manage their urban and community trees and forests.

11. Communities Impacted Distribution of Population U.S. Total = 177,594,187

12. 2007 vs 2008 Distribution Population Served 2007 U.S. Total = 162,308,633 2008 U.S. Total = 177,594,187

13. Allocation FY 2009 • The Northeastern Area received 9% less funding for core program delivery in U&CF than was received in FY 2008. • The Director reviewed several allocation alternatives with the NAASF executive committee. • The joint decision was to focus on performance and cap losses at 9% from FY 2008 to individual states during economic downturn.

14. Percent of Total Projects by Category Out of $13.5 million in Total Project Cost, roughly • 2% Advocacy Group Development • 18% Education/Training • 13% Inventory/Assessment • 5% Maintenance • 7% Management Plan Development • 0% Ordinance Development • 0% Professional Staff Development • 55% Planting Leverage 5 to 1 !

15. Performance Reporting • Stay the course in tracking community assistance • Ramp up narrative reporting on program impacts in terms of: • energy conservation • carbon sequestration • insect and disease resistance • biomass utilization, and • storm water management.

16. Emerging Priorities • In our financial advice to you this year, we also requested that you identify priorities for focusing, and ultimately reporting on use of federal funds. • These might include: • exotic, invasive pests • storm response • green jobs • urban tree cover assessments, etc

17. Priority Actions • Prepare guide for incorporating urban areas in State assessments and response plans. • Develop guidance, assistance and training to incorporate tree cover goals in local plans. • Provide assistance and training for effective response to catastrophic events in urban areas • Prepare comprehensive strategy to address Emerald Ash Borer

18. Priority Actions • Implement Urban Forest Health Monitoring • Develop i-Ped tool, as part of i-Tree • Information Center (UFORHIC) development and local inventory data collection • Organize early detection system with Coop Extension and others

19. Priority Actions

20. New Products http://nrs.fs.fed.us/units/urban/pubs/

21. Tree Cover by County Sub.

22. New Partnership Publication Planning the Urban Forest:Ecology, Economy, and Community Development http://www.planning.org/research/forestry

23. Legislation and Funding • Department of Energy -- Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program • Department of Energy – HR2454 American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, Section 205 • ARRA State Revolving Funds and Corporation for National and Community Service • USDA Forest Service Community Forestry and Open Space Conservation Program • NUCFAC Challenge Cost Share Grants

24. Funding Trends

25. i-Tree and UTC Assessments

26. Contact: Phillip Rodbell prodbell@fs.fed.us Jim Apgar japgar@fs.fed.us 610.557.4133 Or visit: www.na.fs.fed.us/urban