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Community Program Aims to Stem Tide of Declining Canopy in Louisville
Louisville is losing its urban tree canopy at an alarming rate. However, a new program is working to reverse that trend with an innovative approach to encouraging residents to plant trees.The 2015 Louisville Urban Tree Canopy Assessment showed that the city lost 820 acres of canopy or 54,000 trees per year between 2004 and 2012. According to Cindi Sullivan, the executive director of the nonprofit organization TreesLouisville, the primary culprits were identified as emerald ash borer and other insects and diseases, as well as urban development and a lack of interest in tree planting by private owners and cuts to the Louisville metro government budget. TreesLouisville formed in 2015 as a direct result of the urban tree canopy assessment, and with the sole mission of increasing Louisville’s urban forest.
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Shade Trees on Playgrounds in Arkansas and Georgia
Trees have been proven to dramatically reduce exposure to damaging sun rays, can reduce surface temperatures of school yards and playground equipment, and increase energy conservation by shading air conditioning equipment, windows and buildings. To address this, several State Forestry Agencies have developed shade-related programs for schools.
The Arkansas Forestry Commission established the Shade Trees on Playgrounds (S.T.O.P.) program fourteen years ago to reduce the risk of skin cancer among Arkansas children. The Georgia Forestry Commission's Making the Shade Program is designed to create healthier, shaded playground areas on elementary school campuses throughout Georgia.
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Energy Savings Tree Program in Texas
Last year ten thousand trees were distributed in Texas as part of the Arbor Day Foundation’s Energy-Saving Trees (EST) program. The EST program offers a map-based website that homeowners can use to calculate the energy savings value of trees planted on their property, emphasizing right tree in the right place. The program also allows electric utilities and other entities to provide free trees to customers. Through Texas A&M Forest Service engagement, Oncor Electric Delivery has been the primary sponsor of the program in Texas, distributing over forty-five thousand trees since 2012.
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New Faces in Urban & Community Forestry
We have several new people that have joined urban and community forestry programs across the South over the last few months.
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Healthy Trees, Healthy Lives
The Southern Group of State Foresters has developed a communications campaign called Healthy Trees, Healthy Lives to communicate why trees are vital to good health and well-being, including the shade benefits of trees for healthy skin and lowered temperatures.
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Urban Tree Canopy Assessment
The USDA Forest Service has produced a new report detailing the initial steps of Urban Tree Canopy project planning, assessment, and data analysis.
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Vibrant Cities Lab
An innovative multi-faceted web platform that can help professionals, policymakers, and the public access the best available science, understand the value of investing in our urban and community forests, and take concrete steps to plant better, more effective and efficient urban and community forestry programs.
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