I. Announcements

• Pentagon Memorial to Include Trees
• One Million Trees for Earth Day
• Announcing the 2003 Urban Forest Conference

II. What's Happening?

• The Stewardship Rider: Concerns and Opportunities
• Mark Your Calendars for April 25 to Plant Trees for Arbor Day!
• Change a Diaper, Plant a Tree?

III. Activities and Links

• American Forests’ Feature Creature: Siberian Tiger
• Uwharrie Race Winners!
• Environmental News from ENS-news.com

Pentagon Memorial to Include Trees

The Pentagon Memorial design, unveiled on March 3, is a park set only 60 yards away from the point of impact and directly along the flight path taken by the plane that struck the building on Sept. 11, 2001. As part of the plans, American Forests in participating with the U.S. Forest Service, will be planting the memorial's trees--70 in all.

The competition-winning design was created by New York architects, Julie Beckman and Keith Kaseman includes "Light Benches," 184 16-foot-long benches, arranged in parallel rows under clusters of maple trees on the nearly two-acre site. The rows are angled toward the Pentagon's west facade precisely on the path taken by the attackers, and 184, is the number of victims. Each bench will be inscribed with the name of one of the deceased. The chronology of the rows will be sequenced by year of birth, and in traveling the distance from youngest to oldest--from 3 to 71--visitors will comprehend something important about that day.

There is no question that the trees are important to the overall effect of the design. The winning design was one of more than 1,100 entries received from around the world. A competition jury, working with comments from family members, narrowed the pool to six finalists. The 70 maple trees planned in the winning design are essential to help soften the linearity of the unconventional benches, and provide living memorials in tribute to those who died.

For visitors sitting on the benches, or commuters catching a glimpse from the highway, or passengers on jets flying into Washington, the overall effect of the park will be striking. Family members are already describing the memorial plan as peaceful and inviting. Despite heightened security at the Pentagon and the memorial’s proximity to the building, it will be accessible to the public via the Pentagon Metro station and from nearby parking lots, officials said. Pentagon planners are hopeful that the memorial will be ready by Sept. 11, 2004.

This spring, after the ground thaws, American Forests will continue planting memorial trees in and around New York City to honor the victims of 9-11. To help continue our Memorial Tree campaign, click here to plant trees.

Keep reading ForestBytes for future updates on the Pentagon Memorial.

Million Trees for Earth Day!

American Forests is offering businesses the chance to help plant 1 million trees between now and April 22, Earth Day 2003. To date, 422,056 trees have been sponsored by environmentally friendly companies such as IKEA, Hewlett Packard, and Eddie Bauer.

Companies can make a big difference in the health of our planet by planting trees in their communities or by planting trees through American Forests’ Global ReLeaf program, which partners with community organizations across the United States and around the world.

At www.americanforests.org companies will find information ranging from the best way to plant a tree to details on corporate sponsorship opportunities. American Forests has dozens of corporate partners, and each of these relationships is unique, offering special opportunities in cause-related marketing, community impact efforts, and education and employee participation programs.

From helping regenerate forests burned by wildfire in Arizona, to restoring habitat for the Siberian tigers of the Russian Far East, American Forests is mobilizing people and organizations to improve local and global conditions for generations to come. Trees planted in these projects clean the water we drink and remove pollutants from the air we breathe. In addition, they filter polluted runoff, cool streams for salmon, provide habitat for bald eagles and other wildlife, and remove climate-changing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Every dollar donated online or through the Global ReLeaf hotline at 1-800-545-TREE, plants a native tree and counts toward the million-tree goal.

Can your company help us reach our goal of planting a million trees? Click here to plant trees now!

Announcing the 2003 Urban Forest Conference

Register online for American Forests' 2003 National Urban Forest Conference, September 17-20, 2003, at the Adams Mark Hotel along the scenic River Walk in San Antonio, Texas.

Engineering Green is the theme of this year's conference. Engineering cities into existing natural systems is not a new idea, but it's one that is not widely practiced. Trees are the lungs, water filters, and air conditioners of our cities.

Engineering Green will showcase ways that cities can build according to nature's laws and rise above the financial, ecological, and social tides of urban growth.

American Forests' website is a one-stop shop for all your conference needs. You can peruse the program sessions (Schedule at a Glance); read detailed descriptions of the program, tours, and workshops; register on-line; and revisit your account to make changes if needed. Sign up to exhibit and receive a complimentary registration. Learn about hotel, travel to the conference, and sightseeing. There are also sections especially for speakers and moderators, and information on scholarships.

Visit our site at http://www.americanforests.org/conference/ and check back frequently for updates!

For conference questions, contact: Donna Tschiffely, registration coordinator, donna@amfor.org or call: 703-904-7240. See you in September.

The Stewardship Rider: Concerns and Opportunities

Congress's recently passed law gives the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management new tools and authority to do restoration work on our public forests. The law greatly expands the agencies’ authority to use "stewardship contracting," which the Forest Service has been testing over the past three years through 84 pilot projects. The law is controversial because it passed Congress attached as a "rider" to the massive Fiscal Year 2003 Omnibus Appropriations bill. The rider could allow dramatically expanded stewardship contracting, which some groups fear could lead to misuse.

American Forests has been working with other community-forestry partners in efforts to learn from the stewardship contracting pilot projects. "We are concerned that the new law could damage the level of trust that has been built through the pilot projects among diverse community interests,"says Gerry Gray, vice president of American Forests' Forest Policy Center. "Community interests include local environmental and industry groups as well as a range of local government agencies, nonprofit groups, and other business enterprises."

Through the stewardship contracting initiative the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and diverse community interests can learn to work collaboratively, to plan and implement projects, to use "multiparty monitoring" for learning and adapting future projects, and to build trust among diverse interests. The concept of stewardship contracting, which focuses on restoring the health of the land while providing the well-being of rural communities, is consistent with American Forests’ agenda on "ecosystem restoration and maintenance."

American Forests has requested to serve as a bridge between diverse interest groups. "We are asking the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management to open their process to a diverse group of interests to help develop guidance for the design of stewardship contracting projects,"says Gray. "We want to encourage agencies to work with outside groups in order to build common understanding and trust."

American Forests strongly recommends maintaining "multiparty monitoring" in a way that provides local, site-specific information. This feedback mechanism ensures that agencies will continue to work with diverse local groups in a collaborative way and develop useful information for overseeing projects and learning from them. American Forests also emphasizes the need for stewardship contracting projects to focus on restoration, to be identified through a community-based collaborative process, and to benefits to local communities.

With these suggestions and others, American Forests has sent two joint letters to the secretaries of Agriculture and Interior. How do you feel about the rider on the Omnibus Appropriations Bill 2003? Let us know by emailing us at info@amfor.org

To see the letters and more Forest Policy statements, visit http://www.americanforests.org/resources/fp/AFpolicyviews/

Mark Your Calendars for April 25 to Plant Trees for Arbor Day!

The first Arbor Day was celebrated in the state of Nebraska in 1872, in response to a state proclamation urging settlers and homesteaders in that prairie state to plant trees that would provide shade, shelter, fruit, fuel, and beauty for residents of the largely treeless plains.

On that first Arbor Day, more than 1 million trees were planted in Nebraska's communities. The Arbor Day idea was promoted by J. Sterling Morton who, at one time, was Secretary of Agriculture and American Forests' former president. Morton later helped the idea spread to neighboring states and eventually to all of the United States and many other nations.

What does Arbor Day mean to you? Email us at infor@amfor.org and tell us what you and your family are doing for Arbor Day this year!

April 25 is Arbor Day. American Forests plans to plant trees with the Arizona Futbol Club, an organization of young soccer players. The trees will be planted in areas across the state left damaged by last summer's wildfires. Visit http://www.americanforests.org/news/display.php?id=102 for more information.

Change a Diaper, Plant a Tree?

Did you know that changing your child’s diaper could plant a tree?

Through a new partnership with MotherNature Diapers, you can plant a tree in your baby’s name with every four-bag case of diapers.

45 million tons of disposable diapers will be dumped into landfills this year. When you sign up for cotton, reusable, washable diapers with MotherNature, to make it easy, they will deliver your child’s fresh cotton diapers to your home and picks up the used diapers weekly! Not only are you

planting trees, but you’re creating a healthier environment for your child’s future.

Research shows disposable diapers from one baby will produce more than two tons of nonbiodegradable waste. Landfills, which are closing at a rate of one per day, are becoming overrun with bacteria-laden disposables, which can take up to 500 years to decompose!

As of 2002, MotherNature's Diaper Service says its saved more than 24 million diapers from going into landfills since its inception in 1989.

You can visit http://www.mothernaturediapers.com, and American Forests' Global ReLeaf Program will send you a "birth certificate."

To find out where we’re planting trees in 2003 restoration projects, visit http://www.americanforests.org/global_releaf/

American Forests' Feature Creature: Siberian Tiger

American Forests' Feature Creature: Siberian Tiger.

For thousands of years vast, undisturbed forests of native Korean pine, oak, birch, fir, and maple stretched from the heart of Russia to the Sea of Japan. Wide-ranging Siberian tigers ruled a domain inhabited by wild boar, elk, and other prey that in turn took their sustenance from the living forest.

Years of intensive logging, agricultural development, uncontrolled forest fires, and ruthless poaching have shrunk the tigers' forest kingdom to a small corner of the Russian Far East.

As suitable habitat for tigers and their prey has disappeared or been fragmented into a few isolated parcels-- creating a small habitat for the tigers, and forcing them to the brink of extinction.

To help ensure a future for the Siberian tiger, American Forests' Trees for Tigers campaign is working to restore the natural habitat on which tigers depend. Every dollar donated to the program plants one tree. Receive a free t-shirt when you plant 35 or more trees, or receive "Tigers in the Snow," a book by Peter Masterson, when you plant 250 or more trees.

Here are a few tiger facts you may not know: --Tigers can live as long as 25 years if allowed to roam free in their indigenous habitat. --An adult female tiger needs at least 190 square miles of habitat for herself and her cubs. Males need slightly more, but their range overlaps that of several females. --A female tiger gives birth to three or four cubs, but an average of only one cub will survive from each litter. --An adult tiger needs 12 to 15 pounds of food a day. The Siberian tiger's favorite prey includes deer, elk, and wild pigs. They will also eat fish, rabbits, and small rodents when larger prey is scarce. These animals are all dependent on the native Korean pine.

Tell a friend about Trees for Tigers. Send a Postcard!

Uwharrie Race Winners!

Uwharrie Race 40-miler crosses the finish line.

Congratulations to all the runners in the 2003 Uwharrie Race in Uwharrie National Park, North Carolina! Some proceeds from the race will be used to help plant trees with American Forests. To see some of the Global ReLeaf Forest restoration projects underway, visit www.americanforests.org.

The top male and female runners in each category are as follows. A complete list can be found at www.raceuwharrie.com:

Winners of the 40-mile race:
Byron Backer, Greenville, SC (6:23:45)
Bethany Hunter, Lynchburg, VA (7:23:42)

Winners of the 20-mile race:
Travis Walter, Apex, NC (2:46:23)
Cary Kinross-Wright, Durham NC (3:48:46)

Winners of the 8-mile race:
Dave Mabe, Chapel Hill, NC (1:00:01)
Joan Nesbit Mabe, Chapel Hill, NC (1:10:17)

Please check back with www.raceuwharrie.com for information about next year's race.

Did You Know?

If you send the answer and your mailing address to info@amfor.org we'll register you to win a historic tree during our Earth Day drawing!

You could win the tree of your choice from American Forests' Historic Tree Nursery!

Answer to February's question: B) 40% tree cover

You can do your part to help the environment today by joining American Forests. Not only are 25 trees planted for you in a damaged ecosystem or forest restoration project, but you will also receive:

• A free subscription to our quarterly magazine
• A free Big Trees calendar
• A window decal

Join Today! Visit http://www.americanforests.org/

Don't forget to forward this information to friends or colleagues.

FEEDBACK OR OTHER ASSISTANCE:
forestbytes@amfor.org

PLANT TREES WITH American Forests:
http://www.americanforests.org/global_releaf/

BECOME A MEMBER OF American Forests: http://www.americanforests.org/membership/

http://www.americanforests.org

American Forests: People Caring for Trees and Forests since 1875.