Newsroom

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.

Washington, DC (April 27, 2012)- The White House honored tree planter Jackie Cole at a ceremony earlier this week in Washington, DC, called "Champions of Change: Greening Our Cities and Towns." Cole was one of nine individuals recognized as Champions of Change who are using innovative approaches to promote energy efficiency, revitalize outdoor spaces and waterways, and adopt transportation solutions that conserve natural resources, improve walkability and improve other quality of life aspects of our towns and cities.

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).

By Matt Weiser

Sacramento, CA (April 14, 2012)- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will plant more than 30,000 trees on Sacramento River levees next winter, a move that would seem to contradict its own policy calling for levees across the state to be stripped of their trees.

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.

Chicago, IL (April 20, 2012)- Everyone can appreciate the beauty and shade that a tree provides, but their actual value is much more than just aesthetic, according to experts at the Morton Arboretum. In celebration of Arbor Day, arboretum staff, joined by hundreds of volunteers, placed green tags Friday on about 1,500 trees in Chicago and another 2,000 in several western suburbs, aimed at pointing out the dollar value of trees in terms of environmental benefits.

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.

Washington, DC (April 16, 2012)- The U.S. Forest Service is seeking nominations to fill four of fifteen positions on the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council. The Council serves in an advisory capacity of the Secretary of Agriculture and the Forest Service's Urban and Community Forestry Program and related natural resources.

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.

By Jim Robbins

Helena, MT (April 11, 2012)- Trees are on the front lines of our changing climate. And when the oldest trees in the world suddenly start dying, it's time to pay attention.

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.

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.

By Jack Flynn

Springfield, MA (March 28, 2012)- On Kipling Street, landscapers are working to turn back the clock to May 31, 2011, one cherry tree at a time. Thanks to the Realtor Association of Pioneer Valley, dozens of trees uprooted by the June 1 tornado are being replaced in the Kipling Street neighborhood and elsewhere on the storm's Westfield-to-Charlton path.

By Michael E. Ruane

Washington, DC (March 27, 2012)- First lady Michelle Obama marked the centennial of Washington's Japanese cherry blossoms Tuesday morning by reenacting the first planting of the trees in a ceremony along the Potomac River.

Nashville, TN (March 26, 2012)- A study by the U.S. Forestry Service finds that trees in Tennessee's urban areas provide the state with environmental benefits valued at nearly $640 million a year.

By Keila Szpaller

Missoula, MT (March 26, 2012)- Once upon a time, Greg Howe and a friend used to head out at night and plant trees in Florida under cover of darkness. By day, he and his "tree fanatic" friend worked at a retail nursery, and by night, they engaged in "guerrilla tree planting." Then they got caught.

By Laurie Casey

Chicago, IL (March 23, 2012)- When people ask you where you live, what do you say? The city? The 'burbs? Borrrring! Tell them you live in a forest, and that they do, too.

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.

By Dale Bryant

San Jose, CA (March 8, 2012)- If you wanted to plant a forest in the wilderness, you could simply fly over the area and scatter a bunch of seeds. Growing a forest in a city is quite another matter. First, the proper tree has to be selected. Choose the wrong tree for the location, and trouble will follow. Then the tree needs to be planted properly. In a city there is sometimes concrete to cut; a soil auger often must be used, especially with the valley's hard clay soil. And then permits have to be obtained. On top of that, someone needs to commit to nurturing the tree for the first three years after it's planted.