Link: http://www.usda.gov/2005/05/0171.xml Release No. 0171.05 Ed Loyd (202) 720-4623 Willette Squire (202) 205-1134 JOHANNS ANNOUNCES MORE THAN $860,000 IN URBAN AND COMMUNITY FORESTRY GRANTS CASTLE ROCK, Wash., May 18, 2005--Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today announced $863,114 in federal grants to 13 organizations for Urban and Community Forestry. The organizations will match those funds with an additional $1,001,533. ¡°These grants will help fund programs that improve the quality of the environment and the quality of life in our nation¡¯s communities,¡± said Johanns. ¡°They will also help promote the ecological, economic, and social values of healthy urban and community forests.¡± Johanns made the announcement in remarks at an event observing the 25th Anniversary of the Mount St. Helens eruption at the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument Forest Learning Center. Recipients of the cost-share grants were selected in a competitive process, based on criteria developed by the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council (NUCFAC). NUCFAC reviewed the proposals and made its recommendations to the USDA Forest Service, which awards the grants. The grants fund projects in four categories: ¡ñ urban and community forestry for and with minority and underserved populations; ¡ñ urban forest resource management; ¡ñ communicating the value of urban and community forestry; and ¡ñ research and technology development. The 13 recipients are: Trees, Water & People (Fort Collins, Colo.); Delaware Center for Horticulture (Wilmington, Del.); Soundprint Media Center, Inc. (Laurel, Md.); University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minn.); ICLEI ¨C Local Governments for Sustainability (Berkeley, Calif.); Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, (Virginia Beach, Va.); Goleta Valley Beautiful (Goleta, Calif.); University of Washington (Seattle, Wash.); Iowa State University (Ames, Iowa); Cornell University (Ithaca, N.Y.); City Parks Foundation (Flushing, N.Y.); University of Illinois (Urbana, Ill.); and Auburn University (Auburn, Ala.). Additional information on each recipient is below. Previous grants resulted in developing methods for identifying the costs and benefits of trees in communities, ways to conserve energy, techniques for communities to care for their forests, and educational programs to promote the importance of urban and community forestry. Since NUCFAC's establishment under the 1990 Farm Bill, the Forest Service has funded 150 competitive cost-share projects recommended by NUCFAC that promote urban and community forestry nationwide. The 15-member council advises the Secretary on the care and management of trees, forests and related natural resources in urban and community settings throughout the nation. NUCFAC members include representatives from communities, universities, non-profit forestry and conservation citizen organizations, landscape and design consultants, the forest product or nursery industry, professional renewable natural resource organizations and USDA. Members of NUCFAC serve without compensation and dedicate approximately 100 hours each year. For more information, visit http://www.treelink.org/nucfac/. # 2005 URBAN AND COMMUNITY GRANT RECIPIENTS CATEGORY 1: Urban and community forestry for and with minority and underserved populations to improve the involvement of minority and underserved populations in the development and delivery of urban and community forestry programs, and improve public and private services to minority and underserved populations. Honoring Mother Earth: Engaging Native Americans in Community Restoration (Trees, Water & People, Fort Collins, Colo.) Forest Service Grant: $24,157 Matching Institution Grant: $24,157 Total $48,314 CATEGORY 2: Urban forest resource management to advance and promote the current body of knowledge, views, and practice of urban and community forest management from sustaining a healthy population of publicly owned trees to the management of all trees and associated resources within the urban environment. ¡°Trees are Good for Green Cities¡± Model (Delaware Center for Horticulture, Wilmington, Del.) Forest Service Grant $60,500 Matching Institution Grant $60,625 Total $121,125 CATEGORY 3: Communicating the value of urban forestry to promote awareness, knowledge, skills, and behavior change within target audiences to positively impact urban and community forests. The Forest in Our Backyard (Soundprint Media Center, Inc., Laurel, Md.) Forest Service Grant $162,760 Matching Institution Grant $173,689 Total $336,449 Online Urban Forestry Images (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn.) Forest Service Grant $7,047 Matching Institution Grant $7,173 Total $14,220 Talking Trees: Integrating Urban Forestry into Local Government¡¯s Sustainability and Emissions Reduction Initiatives (ICLEI ¨C Local Governments for Sustainability, Berkeley, Calif.) Forest Service Grant $15,060 Matching Institution Grant $15,060 Total $30,120 CATEGORY 4: Creative and innovative urban and community forestry research and technology development projects to improve our knowledge about the many components and interactions within the urban and community forest ecosystem. Bare Rooting ¨C Removing Soil and Substrate from Root Balls at Planting (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia Beach, Va.) Forest Service Grant: $10,215 Matching Institution Grant: $10,914 Total $21,129 Methodology for Using General Plans to Classify Trees as Capital Assets (Goleta Valley Beautiful, Goleta, Calif.) Forest Service Grant: $25,000 Matching Institution Grant: $25,000 Total $50,000 Creating Change with Science: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Urban Forestry Technology Transfer (University of Washington, Seattle, Wash.) Forest Service Grant: $116,900 Matching Institution Grant: $118,484 Total $235,384 The Urban Forest: A Contributor to Physical Activity Levels in the Built Environment? (Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa) Forest Service Grant: $48,102 Matching Institution Grant: $48,127 Total $96,229 Determining the Fate of PM 2.5 Particles Following Capture by Leaves (Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.) Forest Service Grant: $42,189 Matching Institution Grant: $42,271 Total $84,460 An Analysis of Street Tree Planting Mortality and Survival in New York City (City Parks Foundation, Flushing, N.Y.) Forest Service Grant: $61,500 Matching Institution Grant: $61,640 Total $123,140 Planting Trees, Growing Human Capital (University of Illinois, Urbana, Ill.) Forest Service Grant: $163,617 Matching Institution Grant: $288,325 Total $451,942 Assessing Preferences for and Attitudes towards Urban Forests in Suburban Communities (Auburn University, Auburn, Ala.) Forest Service Grant: $126,067 Matching Institution Grant: $126,068 Total $252,135 USDA News oc.news@xxxxxxxx 202 720-4623 ---------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send email to oc.news@xxxxxxxx and reference your email address.
