Spring 2019
 

FROM THE PROGRAM MANAGER: 
In the southeast, our community forests face some unique challenges. One of the greatest is storm damage from hurricanes, tornadoes, ice storms, and other weather-related events. To face this challenge, State Forestry Agencies and the US Forest Service have teamed up to support arborist strike teams that assist communities in inventorying storm damage, recommending safe practices to remedy damage, and getting communities back into their parks and on their roads fast. At the same time they are trying to save as many trees as possible for a healthy, safe, vibrant community forest. We hope you enjoy this round up of our region’s efforts around response, assessment, and planning for resilience.

Paula Randler, Urban & Community Forestry Program Manager, US Forest Service-Region 8

FEATURED ARTICLE:
 

Georgia's Urban Forestry Strike Team Helps Communities Affected by Hurricane Michael

 

Hurricane Michael made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on the Florida Panhandle on October 10, 2018, moving rapidly inland. The storm swept through Georgia, generating wind gusts as high as 115 mph in the southwestern part of the state. The winds caused widespread tree damage and power outages, as well as severe damage to cotton and pecan crops. The Georgia Emergency Management Agency made a specific request to the Georgia Forestry Commission’s Urban Forest Strike Team (UFST) to address leaning trees and dangerous hanging limbs in public areas in the 13 counties designated for disaster assistance. Six members of the Georgia UFST spent seven days doing assessments of potentially dangerous trees on public property. They summarized their findings in a report that was used in cleanup and recovery operations
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UPDATES:

Strike Team Surveys Houston Trees for Hurricane Flood Effects 


The Texas A&M Forest Service hosted Urban Forest Strike Team members who examined trees affected by Hurricane Harvey in Bear Creek Park, located in Harris County, TX, nine months after the hurricane to survey damage from prolonged flooding. The assessments, made during a training exercise, will be used by the city’s parks and recreation department to help reduce risk from storm-damaged trees as well as plan for resiliency.

Virginia Strike Team Training 


The Virginia Department of Forestry, in partnership with the City of Richmond Urban Forestry Division, conducted an Urban Forest Strike Team (UFST) refresher and mock-disaster exercise in Richmond during September 2018 to help maintain UFST team member’s readiness for a deployment. Twenty-one UFST task specialists from four states and Washington, D.C. took the training.

SNAPSHOTS:

The Survivor Tree


Mark Bays, U&CF Coordinator for the Oklahoma Forestry Services, assists with the care of the Survivor Tree, an American elm that survived the Oklahoma City bombing of 1996. This tree has become a symbol of hope and healing for the community.
 

Virginia Urban Tree Utilization 


Read about this innovative project that  included an assessment of the urban tree utilization capacity and the urban forestry program for the city of Richmond, Virginia.
 

TreeLine USA®


The TreeLine USA program recognizes best practices in public and private utility arboriculture, demonstrating how trees and utilities can co-exist for the benefit of communities and citizens and help prevent disasters.
 

Urban Nature for Human Health and Well-Being


This USDA Forest Service National Urban Forestry Technology and Science Delivery Team report summarizes some of the most prominent research related to nature and public health to help natural resource professionals effectively communicate the health benefits of urban nature to their constituents.
 

EVENTS & WEBLINKS:
Upcoming Conferences & Meetings:
77th Annual ISA Southern Chapter Conference and Trade Show
April 6-9, 2019
Mobile, Alabama

2019 ISA Annual International Conference and Trade Show
August 11-14, 2019*
Knoxville, Tennessee
*Pre-conference events and International Tree Climbing Championship (Aug. 9-11)


Webinar:
Green Readiness, Response, and Recovery: Stewardship of natural resources in the context of disturbance
April 10, 2019
USDA Forest Service Urban Forest Connections Webinar Series

 
© 2019 USDA Forest Service Urban Forestry South, All rights reserved.
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