During the month of April KUT is featuring TreeFolks as it’s Get Involved Spotlight organization! I heard they have a pledge drive on…send low-res “proof” of your Spring pledge to KUT to giving at treefolks dot org and we’ll give you $10 off of any TreeFolks membership level!
Thanks, KUT!
Austin named among 10 Best Cities for Urban Forests
WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 5, 2013 — When it comes to a commitment to care for greenspaces in the nation’s leading cities, conservation organization American Forests has found that some urban areas are doing much better than others. Through a combination of an in-depth survey, independent data and a vote by a blue-ribbon panel of leading urban forest experts, the nonprofit has named the 10 best U.S. cities for urban forests: Austin, Charlotte, Denver, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New York, Portland, Sacramento, Seattle and Washington, D.C.
American Forests defines urban forests as “ecosystems of trees and other vegetation in and around communities that may consist of street and yard trees, vegetation within parks and along public rights of way and water systems. Urban forests provide communities with environmental, economic and social benefits and habitat for fish and wildlife.”… Read the rest of the official press release from American Forests here. And don’t miss the gorgeous video about the many benefits of urban forests at the bottom of the page.
Read the American Forests feature on Austin with some great photos of our beautiful urban forest here!
And the story from USA Today here.
Some stories about reforestation efforts in Bastrop County
http://bastropadvertiser.com/2012/12/18/partnerships-pulling-together-to-reforest-the-lost-pines/
http://austin.ynn.com/content/top_stories/290202/reforestation-efforts-continue-in-bastrop-county
NeighborWoods in Your Hood
Recognize these flags? They mean that a homeowner was offered 1 or more totally, completely, FREE trees to plant along the street to create a more shaded, energy-efficient, and walkable neighborhood. Street trees help lower summer temperatures by as much as 5 degrees! We’re currently evaluating yards in South and West Austin to give 3,900 street trees to qualified homeowners. Thanks to a grant from the Save Barton Creek Association, 200 of those trees are guaranteed to go to residents in the Barton Creek recharge zone. If you see these flags in your ‘hood, encourage your neighbors to accept the free trees they were offered – at your next neighborhood meeting, on your neighborhood listserv or with a friendly word. If you have a neighbor who may be unable to plant the trees they are eligible for, offer to plant the trees for them. That small investment of time and neighborliness will pay off in more ways than one!
NeighborWoods has provided more than 50,000 street trees to Austin area homeowners since the start of the program in 1994. Since TreeFolks began managing NeighborWoods in 2002, we’ve provided more than 38,000 trees to more than 20,000 homes! This Fall we delivered more than 1,500 trees to over 800 homes, and will reach a total of 3,900 trees delivered by April 1st. During our 11th year with NeighborWoods, TreeFolks has increased outreach to neighborhood groups and residents to increase response rates and make sure that tree recipients know how to care for the trees once they get them. TreeFolks has organized several events to give away free slow-release tree watering bags, demonstrate the proper way to plant a tree, and answer questions about tree planting and care.
We are currently posting in neighborhoods within the following zip codes: 78704, 78727, 78729, 78745, 78749, 78758, 78759 and a small portion of 78739 and 78748. We posted in 78735 and 78746 earlier this fall, and will return there soon, because that area is in the Barton Creek recharge zone.
TreeFolks to lead residential reforestation efforts in Bastrop County
We are excited to announce that TreeFolks is working with Loomis Partners, Inc., Bastrop County and the Lost Pines Recovery Team to head up a large-scale effort to plant nearly 60,000 native trees this winter on residential property that was badly scorched in the Bastrop County Complex Fire that began on Labor Day in September 2011. We have hired a new full time coordinator, Dan Pacatte, to evaluate and plan reforestation efforts for each qualifying property. TreeFolks will implement the bulk of landowner outreach and communication. American Youth Works – Texas Conservation Corps will perform the bulk of the tree planting during Year 1 of the 5 year project, thanks to funding they received through a grant from the Austin Community Foundation.
TreeFolks is honored for this opportunity to help reforest the beloved Lost Pines and to engage more deeply with the Bastrop County community. We are grateful to the many members of the Lost Pines Recovery Team who have laid the groundwork for this program to restore the Lost Pines, and to the generous support of organizations that will provide funding for the program including – The Arbor Day Foundation, Apache Foundation, H-E-B, Austin Community Foundation, and Bastrop County. For more information about this developing program, please visit TreeFolks’ BCCRP program page and the Lost Pines Recovery Team website, bastroprecovery.org.