Alliance for Community Trees : Case Study

(St. Paul, MN)- Tree Trust offers an education and outreach program with the Builders Association of Minnesota that provides technical assistance, workshops, and continuing education credits for best management practices in preserving, protecting, and replanting trees during land development and construction.

Category: Partnership Building

OVERVIEW

Tree Trust presents Preserving Today, Trees for Tomorrow Awards to builders and developers who best carry out these practices.

This program facilitates the ability of Tree Trust to communicate best practices to critical players in the land use and development field. Winning builders and developers enjoy increased visibility and credibility that enhances their ability to market their properties.

BACKGROUND

Tree Trust was founded in 1976 to help reforest the Minnesota Twin Cities metropolitan area following the destruction caused by Dutch Elm disease. Its mission is to improve the environment by investing in people.

Employment and Training Programs
From the start, Tree Trust has employed and trained low-income and special-needs youth and adults to improve community parks and public areas. Tree Trust now operates a variety of training programs for youth and adults with special needs including summer youth employment training, a young adult conservation corps and an adult community support program. In 2004, Tree Trust created a landscaping services division to provide earned income to help support its training and community forestry programs.

Community Forestry Outreach and Education
In 1992, Tree Trust created an urban and community forestry outreach division to educate the citizens, businesses and professionals about the uses, care and benefits of community trees and the urban natural environment. It emphasizes hands-on projects that involve community residents, local government officials and planners, natural resource professionals, landowners, businesses and developers.

One component of this effort, Preserving Today, Trees for Tomorrow, provides training and technical assistance on best management practices for preserving and enhancing community forests in the midst of increased urban development and sprawl.
Over the last decade, Tree Trust has worked with the Builders Association of Minnesota to develop workshops with continuing education credits on best practices to assist builders and developers in preserving, protecting and replanting trees during land development and construction.

When creating this program, Tree Trust hosted forums for builders and developers throughout the state to learn more about the challenges and concerns facing them in the development and construction process. These issues and concerns were taken into account as Tree Trust created their education and outreach programs.

In 2002 Tree Trust established the Preserving Today, Trees for Tomorrow Building Award to:
* Recognize and award builders and developers who make an effort to preserve, protect, and replant trees before, during and after construction.
* Provide education to ensure healthier urban forests and neighborhoods for the future.

COMPONENTS

Application process and marketing
All residential and commercial builders operating in Minnesota are eligible for the award. Applications are available through Tree Trust and are marketed through a variety of venues including the Builders Association of Minnesota and its regional chapters. Applicants do not need to be a member of the Builders Association.

Eligible projects fall into three categories:
* Developer's Plan and Design Award for developers who make tree and woodland preservation, protection and restoration a focus of the overall plan and design of the development project prior to building
* Residential Builder's Awards for builders and developers who make efforts towards tree preservation, protection and restoration before, during and after construction of residential projects and
* Commercial Builder's Awards for commercial projects.

Applications are accepted year round. In order to be eligible for awards presented at the Builders Association of Minnesota's annual conference in December, applications must be received by October 1. Applications may be submitted as soon as the project is complete but no later than two years after completion.

Education and other resources
Tree Trust provides ongoing educational assistance to developers and builders to promote the use of best practices in preserving, protecting and replanting trees during land development and construction. This help includes workshops and forums as well as courses that can be used for continuing education credits for the Builders Association of Minnesota.

In addition, Tree Trust provides a Field Guide as a resource for builders and developers to follow to help meet the guidelines for the award. The Field Guide includes information on:

* mapping and inventory
* developing a plan for tree preservation
* minimizing construction damage to trees both during and after construction
* protecting tree root zones during construction and minimizing negative impacts for trees and woodlands on the construction site
* replanting trees and restoring woodlands after construction and
* Maintaining the health of preserved and newly planted trees on site after construction.

Evaluation and award process
Tree Trust evaluates the applications with the assistance of local city foresters who provide on-site reviews. The winners are honored at the Builder Association of Minnesota's annual conference.

The award is valuable to developers and builders because it affords them both visibility and credibility. These are valuable advertising tools they can use in marketing their homes and projects.

RESULTS

Since the award was established in 2002, typically 15 to 20 builders and/or developers have applied each year. Tree Trust usually makes two awards at the state conference.

More importantly, the award process offers an additional avenue through which Tree Trust can communicate with developers and builders about best management practices and share mutual concerns and solutions. The award application process requires that developers and builders pay attention to environmental issues as they move forward in their projects. The award gives them an extra incentive to follow recommended practices.

LESSONS LEARNED

1. Developers and builders want to do things the right way; they just may not know how. If you engage them and give assistance on how to approach issues properly, they are interested.

2. Education and outreach must be attached to any award program. Tree Trust offers publications, technical assistance, workshops and continuing education credits in conjunction with the Builders Association of Minnesota that assist applicants to meet the requirements of the award.

3. It is important for developers and builders to have a knowledgeable urban forestry consultant working with them.

4. You need to work with both developers and builders. Each plays an important and different role in the process and each has an impact on the final results.

Contact Information:
Dave Nozal
Programming Director
Tree Trust
2350 Wycliff Street, Suite 200
St.Paul, MN 55114-1331
Phone: (651) 644-5800
Fax: (651) 644-1469