Published Library Resources

This virtual library holds a wide range of urban forestry resources including: research abstracts and full text journal articles, trade magazine articles, CDs, other technology transfer resources, books (or chapters of books), patents, ordinances, theses and dissertations, and conference proceedings.

Journal of Arboriculture - A Compendium - Volume 3: Amenity Tree Fertilization

This volume contains information on amenity tree fertilization.

Journal of Arboriculture - A Compendium - Volume 2: Integrated Pest Management

This volume contains information on integrated pest management.

Journal of Arboriculture - A Compendium - Volume 1: Construction Damage to Trees

This volume contains articles on construction damage to trees.

Ownership Succession: Plan Now for the Future of Your Land

Consider this reality: millions of acres of family-owned lands in the United States will change hands within the next decade, and many of these transfers will happen with virtually no planning. Although many landowners wish to pass their forestland on to family members, few have taken the necessary ... read more...

Managing Forest in Climate Change Times

In an era of climate change, forests will play an increasingly vital role in protecting the Nation's watersheds. Forests reduce erosion, recharge aquifers, regulate stream flows, moderate water temperatures, and protect water quality. read more...

Scanning the Conservation Horizon: A Guide to Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment

Rapid climate change is the defining conservation issue of our generation. The effects of climate change are increasingly apparent, from drowned coastal marshes and drying prairie potholes to melting glaciers. These climate-driven changes will profoundly affect our ability to conserve fish and ... read more...

Old Cities/Green Cities: Communities Transform Unmanaged Land

This publication focuses on greening the city of Philadelphia.

Fire Safe, California!

How to make your home fire safe.

The State of Urban Forestry in California

This is a booklet on the results of the 1988 California urban forest survey.

The Northeastern Ice Storm 1998: A Forest Damage Assessment

This is a summary in booklet form, of the damage in the Northeastern forests caused by the 1998 ice storm.

Forests, Water and People: Drinking water supply and forest lands in the Northeast and Midwest United States

This is a research summary based on forests as critically important to the supply of clean drinking water in the Northeast and Midwest portion of the United States.

Connecting Kids to Nature - Building our Future Through Conservation Education - Program Highlights

This publication contains information on conservation education for children including awareness, information, knowledge, skills, actions, stewardship and leadership.

Guidebook - Forest Management Certification on Private Forestlands in the U.S.

This is a resource for landowners and assistance providers in relation to forest management.

Construction Injury to Trees

This is a short publication on how to protect trees in New Mexico from construction damage.

Minnesota Conservation Volunteer - E.A.B. Alert: A Guide to the Emerald Ash Borer

There is big trouble for ash trees. This is a 12 page informational guide on EAB.

Bring Home the Natives - More than just pretty plants

Four publications on native plants in Pennsylvania condusive to sunny/moist areas, sunny/dry, shady/moist, and shady/dry.

Seasonal Care for Trees and Shrubs in Northern U.S. Climates

This publication includes a poster and a magnet in calender form to show optimal seasons for different tree care activities.

Urban Forest Health Needs Assessment Survey: Results and Recommendations

Results and recommendations based on the Urban Forest Health Needs Assessment Survey.

Dialogue on Diversity - Broadening the Voices in Urban and Community Forestry

This is an outreach model developed through a series of meetings for forestry and other natural resource professionals to use in order to reach out to different segments of society.

Tree Owner's Manual

Tree Owner's Manual for northeastern and midwestern United States. read more...

Tree Preservation During Construction: A Guide to Estimating Costs

Builders and developers are increasingly being called upon by ordinance or consumer demand to protect selected trees during construction. This guide helps you estimate the costs of doing so.

Indiana Community Tree Selection Guide

This booklet is a user's guide to tree selection and resources for the state of Indiana.

Protecting Trees from Construction Damage - A Homeowner's Guide

This booklet helps homeowner's consider the impact of construction on plants.

The Economic Benefits of Parks and Open Space

How land conservation helps communities grow smart and protect the bottom line.

Preventing Construction Damage to Municipal Trees

A manual to help point the way toward a more peacefull coexistence of the urban forest and the rest of the urban infrastructure.

The Nature Conservancy and the Sustainable Forest Initiative Explore Responsible Sourcing for Bioenergy Feedstock

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) launched a pilot project That is said to help bioenergy companies in the United States support responsible forest management through their procurement of woody biomass. read more...

Teaching you about Forest Stewardship

No one can argue that more and more land is being developed for urban and suburban residences, businesses, utilities, and other structures. There are simply less open places to play, fish, hike, and explore. Unplanned growth threatens our land resources, and proper management of our natural ... read more...

The End of the Wild

In 50 years’ time, climate change will have altered some US parks so profoundly that their very names will be anachronisms. read more...

The Value of Green Infrastructure

 

Analyzing the Natural Resource Extension Needs of Spanish-Speakers: A Perspective from Florida

Hispanics are the country's fastest growing minority group. The study reported here surveyed and assessed Extension agents from two demographically different regions in Florida on perceptions and attitudes about the need, quality, and dissemination of Spanish Extension materials. Results showed ... read more...

Trees and Positive Youth Development: Research on Effects of Urban Forestry Work Experiences on Inner-City, Underserved Adolescents

Report summarizing research to evaluate the developmental benefits associated with service work in urban forest restoration. read more...

Strategies for Growing a High\xe2\x80\x90Quality Root System, Trunk, and Crown in a Container Nursery

This document presents strategies to assist growers in producing trees that conform to the Guideline Specifications for Nursery Tree Quality (Visalia, CA: Urban Tree Foundation). read more...

Guideline Specifications for Nursery Tree Quality

This document provides specifications for selecting and specifying quality nursery trees in California, with a focus on container stock. read more...

Green dreams or pipe dreams?: Media framing of the U.S. biofuels movement

Using a frame analytic approach, we identify and analyze the media’s portrayal of the recent movement to increase U.S. biofuels’ investment and development. Using a dataset comprised of New York Times articles, we examine the contested terrain of biofuels discourse as some media coverage frames ... read more...

Corn stover as a biofuel feedstock in Iowa’s bio-economy: An Iowa farmer survey

The state of Iowa possesses the largest quantity of corn stover in the United States. With a representative survey we examine what Iowa crop farmers think about harvesting and selling corn stover and to what degree they may be interested in providing stover to a biorefinery. Iowa farmers are in an ... read more...

Biofuels Bonanza?: Exploring community perceptions of the promises and perils of biofuels production

While the expansion of the biofuels industry has received scholarly attention with respect to environmental and food security concerns, little research has explored the impacts of biofuels industry on local communities where ethanol plants are located. Drawing on sociology of networks and flows ... read more...

Hope and skepticism: Farmer and local community views on the socio-economic benefits of agricultural bioenergy

U.S. government policies and programs promoting agricultural bioenergy development have tended to prioritize national goals of energy security, economic growth and environmental improvement, while marginalizing the local experiences, views and concerns of farmers and rural communities that will ... read more...

Woody biomass outreach in the southern United States: A case study

Woody biomass is one potential renewable energy source that is technically feasible where environmental and economic factors are promising. It becomes a realistic option when it is also socially acceptable. Public acceptance and support of wood to energy proposals require community education and ... read more...

Economics of herbaceous bioenergy crops for electricity generation: Implications for greenhouse gas mitigation

This paper examines the optimal land allocation for two perennial crops, switchgrass and miscanthus that can be co-fired with coal for electricity generation. Detailed spatial data at county level is used to determine the costs of producing and transporting biomass to power plants in Illinois over ... read more...

Ethanol from lignocellulosics, U.S. federal energy and agricultural policy, and the diffusion of innovation

Lignocellulosic ethanol is a low carbon fuel source with the potential to assist in climate change mitigation. However, as a new technology in the process of moving toward commercial development, it is important to understand obstacles to its development. We focused on the role that policy may be ... read more...

Local ownership of ethanol plants: What are the effects on communities?

The rapid expansion of ethanol plants across the U.S. state of Iowa has fueled debate about the burdens and benefits of local (in-state investors) versus non-local ownership of biorefineries. Central to these concerns is the extent to which non-local, absentee owners might reap the benefits of the ... read more...

Upper Midwestern U.S. consumers and ethanol: Knowledge, beliefs and consumption

This study uses multivariate statistical methods to explore the beliefs of upper Midwestern U.S. residents about global climate change, and possible consumer responses to determine their willingness to pay more for cellulosic ethanol from multiple feedstocks. A mail survey was sent to residents of ... read more...

A supply chain analysis framework for assessing state-level forest biomass utilization policies in the United States

The number of state policies aimed at fostering biomass utilization has proliferated in recent years in the United States. Several states aim to increase the use of forest and agriculture biomass through renewable energy production. Several more indirectly encourage utilization by targeting aspects ... read more...

Assessing the rural development potential of lignocellulosic

We examine the potential rural development impacts of a highly decentralized system of feedstock production, biorefining, and consumption of locally-produced lignocellulosic biofuels in Alabama, a heavily forested state in the southeastern United States. Primary data based on in-depth interviews ... read more...

The Environmental Justice Dimensions of Climate Change

Nations around the world are considering strategies to mitigate the severe impacts of climate change predicted to occur in the twenty-first century. Many countries, however, lack the wealth, technology, and government institutions to effectively cope with climate change. This study investigates ... read more...

Emerald Ash Borer Municipal Preparedness Checklist

This checklist provides a subset of the vast amount of information regarding EAB on the internet and is designed to give municipalities basic, logical steps to prepare themselves for an infestation. read more...

Wood to Energy: Using Southern Interface Fuels for Bioenergy

 

Assessing Invasive Exotic Plants in Urban Forests (webinar)

This 40-minute webinar describes the association between the occurrence of invasive exotic plants and the characteristics of urban forests. read more...

How Urban Greening Creates Public Health Ecosystem Services: A 40 Year Research Review (webinar)

This 40-minute webcast describes the results of a literature review of public health services provided by trees and nature in cities. read more...

Habitat Scale Mapping of Fisheries Ecosystem Service Values in Estuaries

Little is known about the variability of ecosystem service values at spatial scales most relevant to local decision makers. Competing definitions of ecosystem services, the paucity of ecological and economic information, and the lack of standardization in methodology are major obstacles to applying ... read more...

The Conditions for Functional Mechanisms of Compensation and Reward for Environmental Services

Mechanisms of compensation and reward for environmental services (CRES) are becoming increasingly contemplated as means for managing human–environment interactions. Most of the functional mechanisms in the tropics have been developed within the last 15 years; many developing countries still have ... read more...

The State of the System and Steps Toward Resilience of Disturbance-dependent Oak Forests

Current ecological, economic, and social conditions present unique challenges to natural resource managers seeking to maintain the resilience of disturbance-dependent ecosystems, such as oak (Quercus spp.) forests. Oak-dominated ecosystems throughout the U.S. have historically been perpetuated ... read more...

Gender Patterns in Bird-related Recreation in the USA and UK

Recent studies show inter-related trends in both adult and youth populations in developed nations: a shift away from nature-based recreation, an overall decline in physical activity, and increasing obesity. For this study we examined gender patterns in a nature-based activity, observing wild birds, ... read more...

Resilient or Vulnerable Livelihoods? Assessing Livelihood Dynamics and Trajectories in Rural Botswana

In this paper, we explore the resilience and vulnerability of livelihoods within two different social-ecological dryland contexts of Botswana over the last 30 years. We drew on primary field data sources, including oral histories, livelihood surveys, ecological surveys, as well as documented ... read more...

Social-ecological Resilience of a Nuosu Community-linked Watershed, Southwest Sichuan, China

Farmers of the Nuosu Yi ethnic group in the Upper Baiwu watershed report reductions in the availability of local forest resources. A team of interdisciplinary scientists worked in partnership with this community to assess the type and extent of social-ecological change in the watershed and to ... read more...

Linking Land Change with Driving Forces and Actors: Four Conceptual Models

Models in land change research are often chosen arbitrarily based on practical rather than theoretical considerations. More specifically, research on land change is often based on a research framework with three crucial elements – driving forces, actors, and land change – in an ad hoc and ... read more...

Feasibility Study: The Urban Forest as a Biogenic Utility

This technology transfer explains the benefits of urban forests in Kent, OH. read more...

Forests First: Water Wins! in the Banklick Creek Watershed

This is a handbook for responsible management of forest and water resources. read more...

Stem Bleeding of Coconut Palm

2-page fact sheet describing disease of coconut palm read more...

Selecting a Tree Care Professional

Fact sheet that explains why and how to hire an arborist read more...

A Field Guide to Terrestrial Invasive Plants in Wisconsin

Photographic field guide providing basic information on the major terrestrial invasive plants in Wisconsin read more...

Emerald Ash Borer

A Forestry Research Applications Technical Note from the Canadian Forest Service. read more...

Distribution of Green, White and Black Ash in North America

Map of native ranges of Fraxinus spp. from Silvics Manual. read more...

Azadirachtin: An Effective Systemic Insecticide for Control of Agrilus planipennis

Research to determine the efficacy of azadirachtin (TreeAzin), to control emerald ash borer. read more...

Emerald Ash Borer Locations

US and Canadian locations of Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis) as of September 16, 2010. read more...

Our Heritage of Community Trees

This booklet explains the history of urban forestry. read more...

The Effect of Trees on Crime in Portland, Oregon

The authors speculate that trees may reduce crime by signaling to potential criminals that a house is better cared for and, therefore, subject to more effective authority than a comparable house with fewer trees. read more...

The Effect of Trees on Crime in Portland, Oregon

The authors speculate that trees may reduce crime by signaling to potential criminals that a house is better cared for and, therefore, subject to more effective authority than a comparable house with fewer trees.

Storm Damage Assessment Utility for Estimating Hurricane-Caused Tree Debris

This fact sheet will explain how the i-Tree Storm: Hurricane Adaptation tool can be used to better estimate tree debris amounts and cleanup costs for pre-hurricane planning purposes and post-hurricane response. read more...

Tree Conservation and Home Site Development Guide

55-page color manual to help Habitat for Humanity volunteers construct homes that embody the concepts of sustainable site design and development and green landscaping read more...

SWUI Assessment

As populations expand in the South, human influences on southern forests are increasing. Natural resource professionals currently have limited skills, information, and tools necessary to address the challenges of managing resources in the wildland-urban interface. Local policymakers, planners, and ...

SWUI Assessment

As populations expand in the South, human influences on southern forests are increasing. As a result, the goods, services, and management of its forests are changing. Such areas of rapid change commonly are referred to as the wildland-urban interface. Although the interface has been variously ...

Urban Forestry in the South: Trends and Future Opportunities (PDF)

A presentation at the TreeSC Annual Conference in Charleston, SC. read more...

Talking Trees

An Urban Forestry Toolkit for Local Governments read more...

A sub-grid, mixture-fraction-based thermodynamic equilibrium model for gas phase combustion in FIRETEC: development and results

The chemical processes of gas phase combustion in wildland fires are complex and occur at length-scales that are not resolved in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models of landscape-scale wildland fire. A new approach for modelling fire chemistry in HIGRAD/FIRETEC (a landscape-scale CFD wildfire ...

Wildland-urban interface fire behaviour and fire modelling in live fuels

 

Testing and classification of individual plants for fire behaviour: plant selection for the wildland-urban interface

Knowledge of how species differ in their flammability characteristics is needed to develop more reliable lists of plants recommended for landscaping homes in the wildland-urban interface (WUI). As indicated by conflicting advice in such lists, such characterisation is not without difficulties and ...

The wildland-urban interface fire problem - current approaches and research needs

Wildfires that spread into wildland-urban interface (WUI) communities present significant challenges on several fronts. In the United States, the WUI accounts for a significant portion of wildland fire suppression and wildland fuel treatment costs. Methods to reduce structure losses are focussed on ...

Experimental measurements during combustion of moist individual foliage samples

Individual samples of high moisture fuels from the western and southern United States and humidified aspen excelsior were burned over a flat-flame burner at 987° ± 12°C and 10 ± 0.5 mol% O2. Time-dependent mass and temperature profiles of these samples were obtained and analysed. It was observed ... read more...

Food Systems and Environment: Building Positive Rural-Urban Linkages

Urbanization increases the physical and mental distances between urban and rural residents and separates city people from knowledge about where and how their food is grown. We recognize an increasing interest in diet and health, as well as the environment, yet at the same time most ... read more...

A numerical study of slope and fuel structure effects on coupled wildfire behaviour

Slope and fuel structure are commonly accepted as major factors affecting the way wildfires behave. However, it is possible that slope affects fire differently depending on the fuel bed. Six FIRETEC simulations using three different fuel beds on flat and upslope topography were used to examine this ... read more...

Ignition and flame-growth modelling on realistic building and landscape objects in changing environments

Effective mitigation of external fires on structures can be achieved flexibly, economically, and aesthetically by (1) preventing large-area ignition on structures by avoiding close proximity of burning vegetation; and (2) stopping flame travel from firebrands landing on combustible building ... read more...

An examination of flame shape related to convection heat transfer in deep-fuel beds

Fire spread through a fuel bed produces an observable curved combustion interface. This shape has been schematically represented largely without consideration for fire spread processes. The shape and dynamics of the flame profile within the fuel bed likely reflect the mechanisms of heat transfer ... read more...

An examination of fire spread thresholds in discontinuous fuel beds

Many fuel beds, especially live vegetation canopies (conifer forests, shrub fields, bunch-grasses) contain gaps between vegetation clumps. Fires burning in these fuel types often display thresholds for spread that are observed to depend on environmental factors like wind, slope, and fuel moisture ... read more...

Wildfire suppression cost forecasts for the US Forest Service

The US Forest Service and other land-management agencies seek better tools for anticipating future expenditures for wildfire suppression. We developed regression models for forecasting US Forest Service suppression spending at 1-, 2-, and 3-year lead times. We compared these models to another ... read more...

Urbanization and Atmospheric Deposition: Use of Bioindicators in Determining Patterns of Land-Use Change in West Georgia

Changes in land use disrupt ecosystem patterns and processes and serve as precursors to other biotic and abiotic stressors. Forest ecosystems in the urban core typically differ structurally and functionally from those in rural areas. The overall objective of the study was to determine ... read more...

Challenges to Educating the Next Generation of Wildland Fire Professionals in the United States

Over the last 20 years, the duties of US fire professionals have become more complex and risk laden because of fuel load accumulation, climate change, and the increasing wildland–urban interface. Incorporation of fire use and ecological principles into fire management policies has further expanded ... read more...

Bastrop, Texas: Steps to Improve Community Preparedness for Wildfire

This handout provides cooperators and high fire risk communities in the area of Bastrop, Texas examples of steps to take to increase wildfire preparedness.

An Internet-based Decision Support Tool for Non-industrial Private Forest Landowners

Landowners need a simple-to-use, readily available tool to contribute to sustainable management of family forests. Researchers from Purdue University developed an internet based decision-support system called 4S Tool (Forest Stand Software Support System), which is designed to encourage informed ...

An Internet-based Decision Support Tool for Non-industrial Private Forest Landowners

Landowners need a simple-to-use, readily available tool to contribute to sustainable management of family forests. Researchers from Purdue University developed an internet based decision-support system called 4S Tool (Forest Stand Software Support System), which is designed to encourage informed ...

Forestland Conversion, Ecosystem Services, and Economic Issues for Policy: A Review

The continued conversion and development of forest land pose a serious threat to the ecosystem services derived from forested landscapes. We argue that developing an understanding of the full range of consequences from forest conversion requires understanding the effects of such conversion on both ... read more...

Fire as a Global Process

4th International Fire Ecology & Management Congress Savannah, GA

Communities Near the Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge: Steps to Improve Community Preparedness for Wildfire

This handout provides cooperators and high fire risk communities near the Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge examples of steps to take to increase wildfire preparedness.

Communication Tools for the Wildland-Urban Interface

Effective communication tools can help resource managers address wildland-urban interface issues by reducing conflict, raising awareness, and motivating behavior change among the visitors and residents. Key Words:

Adapting to Climate Change: A short course for land managers

 

A Sensitivity Analysis of "Forests on the Edge: Housing Development on America's Private Forests"

The original Forests on the Edge report (FOTE 1) indicated that 44.2 million acres of private forest land was projected to experience substantial increases in residential development in the coming decades. In this study, we examined the sensitivity of the FOTE 1 results to four factors: (1) use of ... read more...

A Practical Guide to Citizen-Agency Partnerships: Public Outreach Strategies for Fire and Fuel Management

Fire and fuel management at the wildland-urban interface level has become a prominent issue on federal, state, and private lands in the United States. This guide is organized in a stepwise approach to implementing public outreach. It provides a practical reference for managers who are seeking ways ... read more...

A Holistic Approach to Managing the Societal Impacts for a National Forest in the Wildland-Urban Interface

Natural resource managers in the wildland–urban interface struggle with a variety of issues. In particular, land managers are becoming increasingly burdened with societal problems as a result of encroaching development and increased forest use. This article reports on a process used by the Ocala ... read more...

URBAN FORESTS AND OPEN GREEN SPACES:LESSONS FOR JAIPUR, RAJASTHAN, INDIA

In an era of global climate change and rapid urbanization, innovations on governance of urban systems are critically required as 50% people are now living in less than 3% of the earth’s urbanized terrestrial surface. Without careful production of knowledge, and large investments to link that ... read more...

Net benefits of wildfire prevention education efforts

Wildfire prevention education efforts involve a variety of methods, including airing public service announcements, distributing brochures, and making presentations, which are intended to reduce the occurrence of certain kinds of wildfires. A Poisson model of preventable Florida wildfires from 2002 ... read more...