SPRINGING INTO ACTION…
Spring has been a busy season for the California Urban Forests Council. As part of our 50th birthday celebrations, we have set a goal of 50-for-50; a combination of hosting events and workshops, creating new education and outreach materials, and much, much more. You can see our progress towards our goal below.
Planting trees and growing great neighborhoods
The Invest from the Ground Up program partnered with West Coast Arborists, inc., and the Western Chapter International Society of Arboriculture again in the second round of CIRCLE! The California Initiative to Reduce Carbon and Limit Emissions 2.0 (CIRCLE) worked with our partner cities and non-profits to engage residents in disadvantaged communities, train Tree Stewards, and plant 1,650 trees. Community tree planting events took place throughout March and April 2018. See photos from the events by clicking on the communities listed below, and check out our video from Lodi below.
CIRCLE2.0 Tree Planting Event in Lodi, on April 7th.
50-for-50 Celebration Events, and more…
We planted trees in 11 communities across California. You can see photos from the tree planting events by clicking on the links below.
1. El Monte
2. Claremont
3. Covina
4. Ontario
5. Lodi
6. Irwindale
7. Cosumnes Community Services District (Elk Grove)
8. Santee Lakes
9. San Bernardino
10. Upland
11. Paramount
Comcast regional vice president John Gauder (right), and Jimi Scheid (left) from CalFire demonstrate tree planting to a group of volunteers.
12. Comcast Cares Day in Santa
The California Urban Forests Council helped recruit volunteers to assist with restoration work in the Fountain Grove damaged by the Tubbs Firestorm in October 2017 for Comcast Cares Day.
On Saturday morning, April 21st, in Santa Rosa, volunteers planted more than 350 trees and shrubs along Rincon Ridge and Fountain Grove Parkway.
The event brought together national, state and local organizations. Comcast and the Arbor Day Foundation provided trees and planting materials. The California Urban Forests Council took care of planning and logistics, while members of the Fountaingrove II neighborhood association laid the groundwork for the Earth Day effort. Read more in this article from the Press Democrat.
This year we have also launched two new tools to help you with your urban forestry projects.
13. California Climate Trees Map
The CA Climate Trees Map highlights the important urban forestry work being funded by California Climate Investments previously known as the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The Map shows trees planted by more than two dozen nonprofit organizations and government agencies across California using the public cap-and-trade funds. You can search the map by species, location, grantee, and many other categories under the Advanced Search option.
14. i-Tree Planting Calculator
The i-Tree Planting Calculator is designed to help you estimate the long-term environmental benefits from a tree planting project. The focus is on greenhouse gases, but many co-benefits are included.
15. Urban Trees are Under Attack Flyer
Two exotic, invasive beetles that carry a dangerous fungus are causing increasingly extensive damage to Southern California’s urban trees. The potential loss of city trees to this disease complex can have a cascade of adverse effects on management costs and the ecoservices trees provide in landscaped areas. We have developed an educational flyer that is available for co-branding and use by your organization. The flyer is also available in Spanish. We will add your logo and website address. Email us.
Do you have a tree story that you would like to share?
Can you recall looking at a tree with awe? When you were filled with a deep appreciation for nature? Not just for the nature of wild areas, but also for the nature that surrounds us. For many of us, our tree stories begin in childhood; climbing trees, or swinging from a strong bough beneath a leafy canopy.
As we’ve matured, trees have influenced our decisions on where we live and spend our free time. For others, trees have become central to the narrative of our careers. The trees around us are part of the character of the places we live, play and work. Do you have a story about planting a tree, starting a group, or how you got started in urban forestry?
Whatever your tree story, we invite you to be part of the next chapter of our tree story by helping us celebrate our 50th birthday. We will be publishing the stories on our website and also in our newsletters throughout the year. You can submit your story online or Email us.