• In the News


• Success Story


• Research


• Public Policy


• Events


• Funding

IN THE NEWS
Urban Forestry Partnerships in Education Webcast Available
Community partners can benefit from collaborative arrangements with schools by gaining visibility and recognition for contributions, pre-screening summer workers, influencing curriculum, and improving the community's quality of life and economic development in general. Nancy Wolf of the NY State U&CF Council and Peggy Davis Coates of Friends of the LSU Hilltop Arboretum talk about their work incorporating trees into high school curriculums.

SUCCESS STORY
Carbon Neutral Program
Tree New Mexico, with the support of PNM, a local public utility, has designed and implemented a public education and tree planting program to mitigate carbon dioxide emitted during a special Christmas celebration in 2005. That year, an Engelmann Spruce from the Santa Fe National Forest was chosen to be the Capitol Christmas Tree displayed at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC.

RESEARCH
Penn State Scientists Study Beetles for Cellulosic Ethanol Production
Dr. Kelli Hoover is leading research to determine the potential role of Asian Longhorned Beetles in the biofuel industry. The cellulose that the beetles leave behind can be broken down fermented into ethanol that has a higher net energy balance and reduces greenhouse gas emissions even more than does corn starch ethanol. The research could result in a productive application for trees that succumb to this invasive pest.

PUBLIC POLICY
110th Congress Adjourns
Your Congressional representatives have been home since the end of October campaigning for reelection. In fact, as of the end of today, you may be sending someone new to DC. Either way, Congress is adjourned until 2009. This is a great opportunity to schedule a meeting with your representative. As a constituent, your issues and concerns speak far louder than ACT can on your behalf. So call your representative's district office, and ask to schedule a meeting or invite him/her to an event. ACT has provided some talking points as follows.

EVENTS
Marketing & Communications Webcast- Part II: Nov. 20
Typically nonprofits waste valuable resources and opportunities in substituting promotion activities for marketing strategy. A good urban forestry marketing plan can leverage even a minimal marketing budget to effectively focus on county legislators, a specific neighborhood, or a specific zip code- not the general public. A target audience of soccer moms may want to know how trees help improve their property values, while business owners may want to know about economic impacts of trees.

FUNDING
National Middle School Sustainability Challenge
Middle school students across the U.S. are invited to submit their solutions to environmental problems in their communities for the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge, a national sustainability education initiative. This is a great opportunity to gain spotlight partnerships between local tree organizations and the nation's students and recognize urban forestry efforts that are building healthier, more sustainable communities.