Southern Urban and Interface Forests - What's New

Wednesday, April 20, 2011, 11:00 AM (Eastern)

The next Urban Natural Resources Institute Informational Webcast will take place on April 20th and will provide an overview of social networking tools to communicate and develop new audiences for urban natural resource programs and outreach.This session will be presented by Melanie R. Kirk, Assistant Professor & Extension Urban Forestry Specialist, Texas AgriLife Extension Service. 

 http://www.unri.org/webcasts/#social

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced $1 million in cost-share funding for children's programs in 18 states and Puerto Rico, furthering USDA's commitment to connect young people around the country with America's great outdoors. The two programs receiving funding through this announcement will reach tens of thousands of young people this year, and support the goals of both President Obama's America's Great Outdoors Initiative and First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! Initiative.

To view the article visit: http://www.childrenandnature.org/news/detail/agriculture_secretary_vilsack_announces_local_projects_to_help_kids_get_out/

The USDA Forest Service and the University of Florida unveiled a new book this week that gives utility and energy companies, planners, investors and others the latest information on the viability of the wood to energy market in wildland-urban interface areas of the South. The free book, titled “Wood to Energy: Using Southern Interface Fuels for Bioenergy,” is posted online at: http://www.srs.fs.fed.us/pubs/gtr/gtr_srs132.pdf.

“Wood to Energy: Using Southern Interface Fuels for Bioenergy” addresses topics including woody biomass sources in the wildland-urban interface; harvesting, reprocessing and delivery of woody biomass in the WUI; biomass conversion to energy and fuels; the economic availability of woody biomass; economic impact analysis of woody biomass energy development; and public perceptions of using wood for fuel.
 

We will have a booth at the Kanapaha Spring Garden Festival in Gainesville, Florida this weekend, March 26-27.. This festival features about 200 booths offering plants, landscape displays, garden accessories, arts and crafts, educational exhibits, and foods. Also featured are a walk-through butterfly conservatory, children's activities area, live entertainment and auctions, both live and silent.

For more information visit: http://www.gardenfestival.org/
 

InterfaceSouth will have an informational booth at the 2011 Kanapaha Spring Garden Festival, March 26-27, in Gainesville, FL. This festival features about 200 booths offering plants, landscape displays, garden accessories, arts and crafts, educational exhibits, and foods. Also featured are a walk-through butterfly conservatory, children's activities area, live entertainment and auctions, both live and silent.

For more information visit: http://www.kanapaha.org/calendar.htm.

InterfaceSouth recently developed a fact sheet about research conducted by the Southern Research Station and the National Institute of Standards and Technology that demonstrated that wildfire prevention education pays for itself many times over in the state of Florida. Wildfire prevention education aims to teach the public about the dangers of accidentally igniting fires, with the expectation that these activities will lead to fewer wildfires.

To view this fact sheet visit:
https://www.urbanforestrysouth.org/products/fact-sheets/economic-benefits/the-economic-benefits-of-wildfire-prevention-education/index_html

Urban foresters have long known of the benefits that urban trees provide to communities from reducing the heat island effect, controlling runoff, and improving air quality. However, most have struggled to get other city officials to view urban forestry programs as much more than a beautification program. Now, using a suite of software tools called i-Tree, urban foresters can put a dollar figure on the environmental services that the tree canopy provides to a city, and provide support for their argument that the urban forest is a valuable part of the urban infrastructure, and, as such, deserves substantial investment for improvement and maintenance. This issue of Leaves of Change focuses on the work that Urban Forestry South and partners are doing to put i-Tree to use in support of urban forestry programs and communities across the South.

Click here to view this issue.

Congressman Ron Kind (D–WI) introduced the Moving Outdoors in Nature Act in the U.S. House of Representatives on November 18, 2010. The bill supports federal, state and local plans that help connect children with the natural world.

The Moving Outdoors in Nature Act will help get America’s kids healthy and active by bolstering support for more natural play areas, outdoor recreation programs, public health initiatives, outdoor learning environments, service learning and other initiatives. To learn more visit: http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/Media-Center/News-by-Topic/Get-Outside/2010/11-18-10-Moving-Outdoors-in-Nature-Act-Introduced-in-US-House.aspx

The United Nations (UN) General Assembly designated 2011 as International Year of Forests (IYOF). This designation provides an excellent platform to increase awareness of the connections between healthy forests, ecosystems, people, societies, and economies.

Additional information can be found at the UN website: http://www.un.org/en/events/iyof2011/.

Backyard Woods: Bring Your Vision to Life

The Arbor Day Foundation’s Backyard Woods program is designed to assist landowners in conserving, beautifying, and utilizing their small woodland plot. The program’s guide book includes detailed fact sheets on topics such as planning, wildfire protection, tree care, forest products, and wildlife. The “Backyard Woods: Bring You Vision to Life” guidebook is available for free download online in PDF, or a print copy can be ordered from the Arbor Day Foundation for $4.95 and includes a CD-ROM with twelve tip sheets. The Backyard Woods program is ideal for landowners with one to ten acres.

To learn more about the Backyard Woods program visit:
http://www.arborday.org/backyardwoods/index.cfm

To view or order the “Backyard Woods: Bring Your Vision to Life” guidebook visit:
http://www.arborday.org/backyardwoods/guide.cfm
 

Taking a break to enjoy nature is a pleasure that most of us would like to incorporate into our workday because we know that a walk in the great outdoors can lift our spirits. However, psychologists said the benefits are greater than most of us realize and are more necessary than ever.