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Table of Contents I. Announcements II. What's Happening? |
Syracuse is 100 trees richer thanks to a planting in late October by students from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and crew leaders from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga County. The trees, donated by American Forests as part of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's Urban Forestry Initiative, were planted as part of the annual Campus Day of Community Service. Sponsors included Niagara Mohawk, a National Grid company; retailer Eddie Bauer; International Paper, HSBC; and Starbucks. Three dozen trees were planted near I-81 on Syracuse Housing Authority property along Almond Street and another 14 at an adjacent housing authority site to spruce up places that lack trees after recent building demolitions. At Kirk Park, students and volunteers planted 50 Tidal Basin cherry trees to enhance the site's potential for outdoor events. Those trees will become part of a plan to connect the area to a botanical garden and arboretum. Clinton launched the Urban Forestry Initiative in May. In addition to American Forests, planting partners include Syracuse Department of Parks and Recreation, Syracuse Housing Authority, and Cornell Cooperative Extension. Click here to read American Forests' report that launched the initiative. [Back to Top]Tree-Savvy Teachers in Texas Texas teachers of grades 6 through 8 are taking part in a special environmental education program this fall as part of the grocery store H-E-B's celebration of its 100th anniversary. Forty schools have been selected to receive software and training to teach students about the environmental importance of trees. Each school also received five saplings connected to historic people or places to plant on its grounds. American Forests provided the training and its GIS software, CITYgreen, which has become an effective way to teach math, science and geography with real-world applications. Across the country, students are combining the computer technology with hands-on activities to learn to value trees in their local area. "H-E-B is committed to actively pursuing environmental initiatives that ensure the natural beauty of the communities we serve, and that educate students about the world around them, said Susan Ghertner, H-E-B's manager of environmental affairs. "We are proud to offer this opportunity to Texas educators and to partner with an organization that is committed to preserving our forests for generations to come." American Forests also will plant 100 trees in a Global ReLeaf Forest project in honor of each of the 40 schools participating in the program. For more about CITYgreen's school program, click here. Click here for more about Global ReLeaf Forests. [Back to Top]This year, give a gift that saves energy, cleans air and water, and houses wildlife. American Forests' Global ReLeaf Forests trees are planted in projects to repair ecosystems damaged by wildfire or insects or to restore native forests. Every dollar plants a tree and American Forests will send a certificate to you or your gift recipient. Click here to plant trees for the holidays or here for 10 reasons why the partridge in a pear tree agrees trees equal smart shopping this year. [Back to Top]People buying holiday ornaments made from the preserved leaves of the fallen Wye Oak will benefit both American Forests and Maryland's Department of Natural Resources. That's because each natural design sold during the holiday season will plant a tree in an American Forests' Global ReLeaf Forest. The leaves, embellished with a burgundy silk bow, join variously sized pins crafted by Nature's Creations from the Wye Oak, which was the nation's largest and possibly oldest white oak until it toppled in a June 2002 storm. The much-beloved white oak stood for more than 400 years in Wye Mills on Maryland's Eastern Shore. The purchase of these Historic Leaf pins as well as other Natural Leaves and Commemorative Pins also will result in the planting of a Global ReLeaf tree. Founded in 1976, Nature's Creations designs, handcrafts, and distributes unique jewelry and art from leaves and other natural items. Through a process called artistic electroforming the company captures the leaves in copper, then finishes the design with copper patinas or precious metals. Wye Oak leaf designs are available at www.wye-oak.com. Other examples of its natural leaf designs are available at www.naturescreations.com. [Back to Top]
You can put your workplace-giving dollars to work for trees when you donate to American Forests through Earth Share, a nationwide network of the most respected environmental and conservation organizations. It's a simple way to care for our health, water, air, land and wildlife. Earth Share partners with employees and employers across the country to support hundreds of environmental groups through efficient and effective payroll deduction giving. With payroll deduction giving, you pledge that a small amount of each paycheck be automatically deducted; when that money goes to American Forests, you're helping to grow a healthier world with trees and forests. Your payroll deduction contribution can also count as your membership to American Forests. As a member of Earth Share, American Forests participates annually in the largest workplace giving campaign in the nation - the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), for employees of the federal government and the U.S. military. Federal government or military employees can give to American Forests through the CFC, by entering code # 901 on their pledge card during the next fund drive. Several local United Ways include Earth Share in their list of charities, including Washington, DC; Rhode Island; and San Diego. And more and more workplaces are allowing employees to consider Earth Share for employee workplace giving. Among them: American Express, American Airlines, Aveda, Dell, Emory University, Harvard University, HBO, Hewlett Packard, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Sears, Tom's of Maine, and many others. Learn more about Earth Share, including how your employer can host its own campaign: www.earthshare.org. To help your company set up a workplace campaign with Earth Share, contact Gregory Meyer, director of corporate relations at American Forests: gmeyer@amfor.org; 202/955-4500 ext. 222. [Back to Top]Urban forests are important for more than just park benches and property values; in fact, they're vital for a community's health, enjoyment, and economic well-being. The 2005 National Conference on Urban Ecosystems will show how to reconnect people to their city's natural resources. The 2005 conference, Nature at Your Service, will be held Nov. 17 and 18 in Charlotte, North Carolina. It will give practical advice for helping cities meet regulatory requirements for clean air and water, revitalizing neighborhoods, and reducing the cost of building and maintaining infrastructure. Attendees can expect information on the latest technologies and emerging public policies, as well as take-home tools to help put the trees in their urban forests to best use. For more about the conference, click here. [Back to Top]Time for New Thinking About Trees Forest management in this country and around the world has focused more on the timber that could be produced or the potential value of the land if cleared than it has on the other services forests produce. Forest management has, quite literally, failed to see the forest for the trees. It's time for everyone who cares about trees and forests to demand that forest management protect and grow the total value of forests, including these services. Click here to see American Forests' op-ed on the value of trees for the services they provide. [Back to Top]Historic Tree Nursery Takes a Hit A treasure trove of tree seeds representing some of the most important events in American history were destroyed when tornadoes ripped through Jacksonville, Florida, in the wake of September's Hurricane Frances. Some of the seeds lost were irreplaceable— seeds collected around the world from places like Beijing's Forbidden City and Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. Also lost were seeds with connections to a half-dozen American Revolution sites and with ties to Martin Luther King, Amelia Earhart, and Thomas Edison. Historic Tree Nursery, a program of the nonprofit American Forests, which gathers and grows seed connected to famous people, places, and events, sustained more than $6 million in damage to its three state-of-the-art greenhouses in Jacksonville. The seeds, which represented 16 years of collecting, had been stored under climate- and moisture-controlled conditions. For more about the losses and to see which trees are still available, click here [Back to Top]Thousands Meet on Extinction The IUCN World Conservation Union is hosting the World Conservation Congress, which takes place every four years. Planet Ark quotes director-general Achim Steiner as said the meeting "sends a very powerful message that conservation is not a marginal issue in the year 2004. Steiner warned Reuters news service that despite worldwide efforts, "we have not really succeeded in stemming the loss of species. The number has now risen to over 15,000 threatened species on our planet—and this is just the number we have been able to assess so far." For more about the Congress, click here. Mexico Protects Tropical Forest Are You a Member? 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:
Join Today! Visit http://www.americanforests.org/ Forest Bytes Don't forget to forward this information to friends or colleagues. |
