Sarah Michelle Gellar and Marie Claire Magazine plant trees for Wildfire ReLeaf.

When more than 500,000 acres of California forest burned last year, American Forests created California Wildfire ReLeaf to help begin the restoration process. The wildfires killed 20 people, displaced more than 2,000, and devastated the area's forests, and the response to American Forests' call for help was overwhelming.

Contributions poured in from individuals and from corporations, including Hewlett Packard, Earthbound Farm, Tree of Life, Pacific Bell Pioneers, Working Assets, Plum Foundation, Starbucks, Tetra Pak, and American Honda, among others. But it was one particular new partnership-one that brought together a box office superstar and a popular fashion magazine-that became one of the most innovative efforts for restoration, and a first for American Forests.

Marie Claire magazine, which boasts more than 54,000 readers nationwide, heard about California Wildfire ReLeaf a few days after the campaign began. The magazine was so moved by the challenge to help regreen southern California that it put forth a two-pronged effort.

First, the March issue of Marie Claire featured an article on actress and California resident Sarah Michelle Gellar and her work with wildfire victims in burned neighborhoods. Second, the magazine advertised a limited edition cubic zirconia butterfly necklace, with the proceeds benefiting California Wildfire ReLeaf. Gellar agreed to model the necklace in the ad. Each $29.95 necklace sold planted more than 15 trees with California Wildfire ReLeaf, thanks to a tree-for-tree match by the U.S. Forest Service.

Gellar is best known for her starring role in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and for her work as Daphne in the Scooby Doo movies. The Marie Claire article described her charity work with the Red Cross in a burned neighborhood of San Bernadino. Gellar handed out food and clothing and talked with residents, some of whom had lost their homes and all their possessions.

Before traveling to San Bernardino from her home in Los Angeles, Gellar spent time learning about the ecology of wildfire and the way drought and tree-killing beetles had turned the forests to tinder. The article described how she worked among sandbags placed to stem off the inevitable flooding and mudslides that threatened as a result of the vegetation loss on the hillsides.

The efforts by Marie Claire and Gellar have resulted in nearly $225,000 in contributions to support the planting of trees in southern California. American Forests' ecosystem restoration efforts will greatly speed the healing process for these forests.

To purchase a necklace to benefit California Wildfire ReLeaf, visit netaya.com or call 800/636-6884 (cite style #NP2SJN51ZMC). Or, you can visit americanforests.org to donate directly to California Wildfire ReLeaf.
—Rachel Brittin

New CITYgreen

American Forests has released a new version of its CITYgreen geographic information system (GIS) software that allows users to take advantage of new GIS tools.

The software uses the strength of the Internet to import landcover data from remote sources via the Internet. From there users can access many types of geographic content, including dynamic maps, downloadable data, and more advanced Web services.

CITYgreen for ArcGIS, which is designed for professional GIS users, "can help communities save millions of dollars in meeting air and water quality regulations by accurately calculating the work performed by their green infrastructure," says Gary Moll, vice president of urban forestry at American Forests.

A water quality analysis model that computes the effect trees and other forms of landcover have on 10 pollutants present in nearby bodies of water is new in the latest version. The software also includes a simplified user interface, updated equations for computing analyses, and enhanced reporting and presentation capabilities.

Previous versions of CITYgreen ran as extensions to ArcView 3.x. American Forests continues to offer CITYgreen 5 for those wishing to stay with the ArcView platform or who wish to run energy conservation and tree growth models. The version is ideal for schools, and free teaching materials and lesson plans are provided on American Forests' website. CITYgreen for Windows, planned for later this year, is designed for nontechnical users who want to run an analysis without having additional need of ArcGIS.

For more information, visit americanforests.org.

Proceedings Available

Proceedings are available from the 2003 National Urban Forest Conference. With 91 papers, the 320-page book is the largest edition ever produced by American Forests. The book covers the Engineering Green conference's general and concurrent sessions and in-depth workshops. Section headings include: Ecology and Conservation; New Technology; Incentives and New Regulations; Education; Planning, Design, and Management; Taking Stock; and Making Connections. To order, contact American Forests at 800/368-5748 or ferg@amfor.org. Individual copies are $45+$5 shipping. Bulk order discounts are available.

eBay and Trees

eBay auctions are no longer just a place to find a marble egg paperweight or a 1945 art deco vase. Now when you bid to win an item, you could be making a difference for a nonprofit like American Forests.

American Forests has joined eBay's Giving Works program, in which a portion of the money bidders spend benefits a worthy nonprofit. Marked with a special ribbon icon, each Giving Works listing promises that a nonprofit will receive all or a portion of the proceeds from the sale of everything from silver chandelier earrings to blue tricycles.

Bidding on eBay Giving Works items is no different than bidding on any other eBay item. Just pick your item, sign in with your eBay account, and place a bid. You can even search specifically for eBay Giving Works items. Each item lists the nonprofit that will benefit. Visit www.ebay.com for more information about American Forests' listings.

The win-win situation comes via MissionFish, a service of the Points of Light Foundation. The Points of Light Foundation helps nonprofits turn in-kind donations into unrestricted funding.

Honda Helps

More than 1.7 million Honda owners nationwide were invited to support the restoration of wildfire-ravaged forests by having a free, 40-point inspection of their vehicle in April. The promotion was part of the inaugural Honda Car Care Days (HCCD), which coincided with National Car Care Month.

To emphasize the effect a poorly maintained vehicle has on the environment, Honda planted a tree with American Forests' Wildfire ReLeaf program for every 40-point inspection completed during the month. The U.S. Forest Service will match each tree to double the number of trees ultimately planted through HCCD.

"We're excited to join with Honda-one of the most environmentally sensitive car manufacturers in the world-to help restore and rehabilitate the many forest ecosystems destroyed by fire," says Deborah Gangloff, executive director of American Forests. American Forests launched Wildfire ReLeaf in 1999.

"Many people don't realize that when their vehicle is not running optimally, it may be emitting greater amounts of harmful pollutants than a similar, carefully maintained vehicle," says John Petas, vice president of American Honda Parts and Service Division.

"Through Honda Car Care Days, we can help improve the environment not just one tree at a time, but also one Honda at a time," he adds.