ACT News

Nebraska City, NE (May 2, 2012)- Alliance for Community Trees member organizations were among the exemplary tree planters and environmental stewards who received National Arbor Day Awards for Inspiring others to plant and care for trees.

Bensenville, IL (April 27, 2012)- Boise Inc. has selected a site in Baltimore, Maryland, for its next urban park developed by Project UP. Funded through sales of Boise ASPEN Recycled Papers, Project UP works to transform distressed urban spaces into vibrant community parks in partnership with Alliance for Community Trees (ACTrees).

College Park, MD (April 23, 2012)- The Alliance for Community Trees network is growing. ACTrees announces that TreeLink and its iTreeBank Program are now a part of Alliance for Community Trees. This is a result of many months of deliberation and collaboration by the leadership of both organizations.

Washington, DC (April 17, 2012)- The U.S. Chamber Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC) and Siemens Corporation announced today that Chicago, IL; Santa Monica, CA; and Purcellville, VA were chosen from among 132 communities across 40 states to become this year's Siemens Sustainable Community Award winners. The three selected communities were applauded for their focus on a multi-disciplinary approach to sustainability which has positively impacted local businesses and enhanced the quality of life among its citizens.

By Kathy Hanks

Greensburg, KS (April 13, 2012)- Joan Hayse misses the way the giant old maples, elms, and cottonwood trees would arch across the streets of town forming a canopy of shade in the heat of the Kansas summer. Friday morning, just three weeks before the fifth anniversary of the EF-5 tornado that destroyed life as she knew it, Hayse was volunteering to plant more trees.

College Park, MD (April 10, 2012)- Alliance for Community Trees today signed on to national letter urging Congress to preserve deserved funding for conservation, recreation and preservation. America's Voice for Conservation, Recreation and Preservation (AVCRP) is a diverse group of over 1,000 organizations united by the common goal of securing continued Congressional funding for conservation, outdoor recreation, and historic preservation programs.

Asheboro, NC (April 9, 2012)- TREES NC is a grassroots, citizen-based organization emphasizing ecological stewardship and community collaboration as vehicles for the betterment of the urban environment. Their mission is to inspire citizens—from youth to business leaders and elected officials—to work together as tree advocates in their communities.

Sacramento, CA (April 2, 2012)- The call for proposals is now open for this year's Partners in Community Forestry Conference, which will be held November 14-16 at the Sacramento Convention Center in Sacramento, CA.

Washington, DC (March 13, 2012)- Several Alliance for Community Trees members participated in last week's White House Conference on Conservation, an event that brought together 500 people from across the nation to advance the America's Great Outdoors agenda.

College Park, MD (February 27, 2012)- The new movie The Lorax opens nationwide this upcoming Friday, March 2. Thousands of children and families will see the movie this weekend, and will leave the theater excited about protecting and planting trees. This presents an incredible opportunity for tree planting organizations to share their message with the public and reach an enthusiastic new audience. Do not miss this chance to promote your work and gain attention, volunteers, and donors for your organization.

Augusta, ME (February 16, 2012)- Project Canopy is about people. It educates people about the benefits trees provide, and how trees make people's lives better. It connects people who have a particular expertise to people who need that expertise. It helps build bridges with town and city governments, and it knows how to communicate in a local, political environment. And just as important, Project Canopy helps people talk about success stories, so that they can find the motivation - and inspiration - that is crucial for developing creative, long-term community forestry programs.

Washington, DC (January 31, 2012)- Friends of Wangari Gardens (FWG), is a newly incorporated non-profit, with a fiscal agent. The park that the organization has adopted is named Wangari Gardens as a memorial community food garden for the late Nobel Peace laureate and tree advocate, Wangari Maathai. FWG has adopted a 2.7-acre urban green space in Washington, DC from the DC Department of Transportation. Wangari Gardens is located in Ward 5 of DC, where 1 in 5 residents lives in poverty, and nearly one-third of the population is obese.

Kinston, NC (January 31, 2012)- Common Ground of Eastern North Carolina is a start-up social enterprise based in Kinston (Lenoir County) dedicated to creating and expanding opportunities for youth, especially under-served children, through activities like community gardening and community conservation service projects.

Frankfort, KY (January 30, 2012)- Commonwealth Gardens is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the formation of community gardens and school gardens in the Frankfort and Franklin County area. Commonwealth Gardens' humble beginnings can be traced back to a South Frankfort neighborhood in 2007. Sellus Wilder and his wife Jessie had turned their front yard into a vegetable garden, attracting attention of neighborhood children and inspiring the couple to dig a public garden a few blocks away. Before long, residents were excited to take part in the local food movement by growing their own food.

Cincinnati, OH (January 30, 2012)- Enright Ridge Urban Eco-Village (ERUEV) is a community of people fostering a sustainable urban neighborhood that promotes social and economic well being while contributing to the preservation of the planet. ERUEV is located in Price Hill, near downtown Cincinnati, Ohio; building a new way of life on the foundations of this historic area (affordable homes, the acres of forest that surround the ridge and a traditionally strong sense of community) to create a healthier, more sustainable neighborhood.

Bloomington, IN (January 26, 2012)- As one of the only projects of its kind in the nation, the Bloomington Community Orchard is on the forefront of sustainable living and community building. Incredible, dedicated volunteers have worked thousands of hours to carry the Orchard from its first community meeting in February 2010, through two major grants and two community-wide planting days, and onward to harvesting and maintaining a place they love.

Park City, UT (January 23, 2012)- The Mountainland Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) area was authorized on March 17, 1998 by the Secretary of Agriculture. The Mountainland RC&D is a grassroots non-profit community-based 501(c)3 organization operating in Summit, Wasatch and Utah Counties in the State of Utah. In January of 2001, the Mountainland RC&D changed its business name to Uinta Headwaters RC&D.

College Park, MD (January 9, 2012)- ACTrees members are invited to submit comments on revisions of the ANSI A300 national tree care standards. The period for public review is January 6 to February 5, 2012, for ANSI A300 Part 6- "Planting and Transplanting of Trees and Shrubs," and January 6 to February 20, 2012, for ANSI A300 Part 7- "Integrated Vegetation Management."

College Park, MD (December 29, 2011)- Congratulations to Keep Indianapolis Beautiful of Indianapolis, IN, for their winning National NeighborWoods^TM Month photo! Their photograph best captured the spirit of volunteerism that thrives in NeighborWoods^TM programs across the nation. Featuring three Indianapolis youth working together to plant a new neighborhood tree, the bright snapshot conveys the determination, cooperation, and positive action people are taking to strengthen their communities with trees.