2016 ANNUAL REPORT
New York State Urban Forestry Council
PO Box 562 Lima, NY 14485
Phone: 5856243385 Email: [email protected]
nysufc.org
HISTORY The New York State Urban Forestry Council is the largest urban forestry advocacy group in New York State. It was formed with the purpose of advising the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation on urban forestry issues and operated informally for seven years until formally organizing in 1999. The Council became fully operational as a NYS notforprofit corporation in early 2000 with a 501(c)3 designation from the Internal Revenue Service. The final designation was received in spring, 2004. The Council has a 31member statewide board of directors that meets three times annually and an eightmember executive committee which meets at least three times per year. The general membership of the Council is comprised of natural resource professionals, municipalities, nonprofits, elected officials, grassroots organizations, large corporations, students, and dedicated community volunteers.
VISION The New York State Urban Forestry Council envisions that every community in New York State will recognize the value of trees and maximize the use of trees to help improve the community’s quality of life.
MISSION New York State’s urban forestry program is a partnership of public, private and volunteer organizations and individuals that fosters comprehensive planning, management, and education throughout New York to create a healthy urban and community forest and enhance quality of life. Goal 1 Strengthen board structure and membership. Attract public, private,
volunteer organizations, and individuals to help promote the mission and vision of the Council.
Goal 2 Identify and promote the benefits of trees. Promote the appreciation and
understanding of the environmental, economic, and social benefits of trees in the urban and community environment.
Goal 3 Provide educational tools. Advance urban and community forestry outreach,
training, and education. Goal 4 Provide planning and management tools. Promote and support
comprehensive urban and community forestry planning and the application of industry best management practices and current research.
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Baldcypress grove in Buffalo's Forest Lawn Cemetery. Photo by Michelle Sutton
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FIVEYEAR STRATEGIC PLAN The Council Board developed and agreed upon a FiveYear Strategic Plan in November, 2014. This document is reflective of the Council’s mission and goals and illustrates what activities and tasks are being pursued in order to fulfill the Council’s overall mission. nysufc.org/wpcontent/uploads/2015/03/nysufc5yearstrategicplanfinal201520191.pdf
MEMBERSHIP TYPES 6 Student 162 Individual 16 NonProfit Organization (4 members each) 21 Government Agency (5 members each) 7 Small Business (6 members each) 1 Medium Business (10 members each) 3 Corporate (12 members each)
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MEMBERSHIP TOTAL/WEIGHTED TOTAL In 2016, there were 216 memberships, representing 425 total members.
OFFICERS FIRST NAME LAST NAME TITLE AFFILIATION David Moore President NYC Parks & Recreation Andrew Hillman Past President Davey Resource Group Brian Skinner VicePresident National Grid Steven Harris Secretary Syracuse Dept of Parks, Recreation &
Youth Programs Lori Brockelbank Treasurer Wendel Karen Emmerich AtLarge Freshwater Environmental Consultants/
R3 ReLeaf Chair Phil Healey AtLarge Inc. Village of Lynbrook Pat Tobin AtLarge Fayetteville Tree Commission Brian Liberti AtLarge City of Rochester
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS
FIRST NAME LAST NAME AFFILIATION
Christopher Anderson NYS Association of Towns Karen Arent KALA/ Landscape Architect Dr. Nina Bassuk Cornell's Urban Agriculture Institute Mark Beamish Orange and Rockland Utilities Jeffrey Bell NYSEG Vincent Biondo Town of Babylon Brenda Cagle Town of Red Hook Tim Chick Paul Smith's College Mike DeMarco City of Watertown Sharon DiLorenzo Capital Roots Vincent Drzewucki Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County Larry Ferrandiz PSE&G Danielle Gift NYC Department of Parks & Recreation L.D. Terry Hawkridge Rustic Pines Rachel Holmes The Nature Conservancy Jennifer Kotary NYS DEC Dr. Doug Morrison SUNY ESF Nancy Needham Town of Manlius Tree Commission Andy Pleninger Urban Forestry, LLC Gary Raffel Dynamic Tree Systems Glen Roberts NYS DEC Shawn Spencer ReLeaf Region 2 Committee Chair Art Traver Wendel
EXOFFICIO
FIRST NAME LAST NAME AFFILIATION
Mary Kramarchyk NYS DEC Urban Forestry Program Manager Eric Greenfield USFS/Instructor at SUNY ESF Martin Mullarkey Retired Utility Arborist and Educator John Parry USDA Forest Service Rob Messenger NYS DEC Bureau Chief, Forest Resource Management
STAFF
FIRST NAME LAST NAME TITLE
Liana Gooding Executive Secretary for NYSUFC Michelle Sutton Editor, Taking Root Newsletter & Council Blog
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TAKING ROOT The Council’s e newsletter, Taking Root , was distributed monthly in 2016 and was opened by an average of 374 readers each month. An average of 102 people clicked on links in the newsletter each month. In March of 2016, the Council’s blog—previously housed on its own site—migrated to the home page of the Council website. This merger increased both blog and website viewership. The blog was viewed over 19,500 times in 2016. The Council blog can be viewed at nysufc.org and the archives of enewsletters can be viewed at nysufc.org/trnewslettersarchive .
ReLeaf 2016 conferees tour the Saratoga Tree Nursery Seed Storage Lab. Photo by Michelle Sutton
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FINANCIAL SUMMARY The Fiscal Year 2016 Budget of the Council is composed of the following:
● A direct grant from the USDA Forest Service ● Membership dues ● Unrestricted donations from its members and supporters ● Proceeds from the annual conference and regional workshops ● Sponsorships
The 2016 USDA Forest Service Grant monies provided funding for:
● Online publication of 12 ENewsletters and 52 weekly blog posts: $6,000 ● 2017 Annual Conference: $8,000 (St. John’s University Queens, NY) ● Council website: $1,000 ● Administration/Executive Secretary: $18,350 ● Tree City/Tree Line/Tree Campus Recognition ceremony and other support of
ReLeaf Committee activities: $4,000 ● 2017 Arbor Day Grants $10,000 ● 2017 Arbor Day Grants administration: $1,000 ● Travel: $4,000 ● Outreach Materials: $1,000 ● Office Expenses: $2,000 ● Board Meeting Expenses: $800 ● Advocacy: $1,000 ● Scholarships: $1,000 ● Energy Tree Savings Program: $20,000
Board members Karen Arent (left) and Karen Emmerich. Photo by Michelle Sutton
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COSTSHARE GRANT PROGRAM The Council advised and provided support and feedback for the development of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s CostShare Grant Program. In 2016 and 2017 (Round 13 of this program), $2.3 million in grant projects became ready for application in denominations of $11,000 to $75,000 depending on the applicant’s municipal population. These funds are made available from the Environmental Protection Fund and are managed and allocated by the NYS DEC. Previously, grants were distributed in three funding cycles from Round 12 (June and October of 2015 and January of 2016). In 2016, projects were located on public properties or rightsofway and were equally matched by local resources. Applications for projects included these grant categories: street tree planting, tree maintenance, tree inventory, urban forestry management plans, and reforestation grants. To read more about this recurring grant program and the application process, visit the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Urban and Community Forestry Program at http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/5285.html .
Council President David Moore (left) facilitated a lively discussion at the July 2016 board meeting. Photo by Michelle Sutton
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ANNUAL CONFERENCE The 24th Annual NYS ReLeaf Conference, entitled “Sustainable Urban Forestry: Digging In,” was held July 1416, 2016 at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY. Presentations, workshops, and tours focused on topics around valuing, caring for, and utilizing the urban forest. Along with an array of useful presentations, a highlight was the “History of Water” keynote talk given by Dr. Neil Murphy, President Emeritus of SUNY ESF. Attendees also enthusiastically participated in the Saratoga Tree Nursery Tour and aided in the restoration of the campus woodlands through an onsite service project. Lastly, a session of the conference was set aside for demonstrating potential creative uses of urban woods (those salvaged from community streets and home yards) by City Woods of Syracuse. That talk was enhanced by an onsite portable sawmill demonstration utilizing urban wood.
At Skidmore College in July 2016, Marquise BrownThornton (left) and Shadrach McKinney of the Onondaga Earth Corps attended the ReLeaf Conference for the first time. Photo by Michelle Sutton
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More information regarding the conference workshops, tours, and speakers can be found on the Council’s blog in a series of posts before and after the conference. Go to nysufc.org/?s=releaf+skidmore to browse the many posts.
Arborist Gary Raffel participated in the Tools of the Trade workshop at the 2016 ReLeaf Conference at Skidmore, teaching about Tree Radar. Photo by Suzie Alvey
SCHOLARSHIPS When funds are available, the Council assists members in attending relevant conferences or training. These scholarships are made available through the US Forest Service or unrestricted funds donations made directly to the Council. Awardees are encouraged to expand their education in the areas of best management practices and to learn about contemporary issues in urban forestry. This year the Council provided Christine Manchester $500 in assistance to attend the Arbor Day Foundation’s Partners in Community Forestry Conference. It was held in Indianapolis, Indiana on November 16 and 17, 2016. The Council also provided Karen Emmerich $1500 in assistance to attend the 2017 Municipal Forester Institute, hosted by the Society of Municipal Arborists. It was hosted in Sheperdstown, WV on February 2126, 2016.
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TREE CITY USA The Council supports the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s efforts in conjunction with the Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree City USA program. To be awarded Tree City USA status, a town or city must have the four following qualifications: 1. A tree board or department 2. A tree care ordinance 3. A community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita 4. An Arbor Day observance or proclamation In 2016, 117 towns, villages or cities in New York State were awarded Tree City USA Status. Of the 117, 110 municipalities recertified while six became new Tree Cities.
In 2016, West Point celebrated 18 years as a Tree City USA. Photo courtesy NYS DEC
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TREE CAMPUS USA The Council also supports the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s efforts in conjunction with the Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Campus USA program. To be awarded Tree Campus USA status, a college or university must have the following five qualifications: 1. Campus tree advisory committee 2. Campus tree care plan 3. Campus tree program with dedicated annual expenditures 4. Arbor Day observance 5. Service learning project In 2016, 18 colleges or universities in NYS were awarded Tree Campus USA status.
TREE LINE USA The Council supports the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s efforts in promoting the Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Line USA program. To be awarded Tree Line USA status, a utility company must have the following five qualifications: 1. Quality tree care 2. Annual worker training 3. Tree planting and public education 4. Treebased energy conservation 5. Arbor Day celebration In 2016, six utility companies in New York State were awarded Tree Line USA status. The Council supports and attends the annual NYSDEC Recognition Ceremony for Tree City USA communities, Tree Line Utility USA members, and Tree Campus USA colleges and universities.
VOLUNTEERING The Council recognizes and supports the volunteer work of urban forestry advocates and partners across our State. In 2016, The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation documented 391,123 hours of statewide volunteer work, many of which were directly performed by Council members.
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Kindergartners in Pat Evens’s class at PS 174 in Queens planted a redbud tree they named Sophia during their spring 2016 NYC Arbor Day celebration. Photo by Pat Evens
ARBOR DAY GRANTS In 2016, the New York State Urban Forestry Council, through US Forest Service funding, was once again able to offer Arbor Day grants. Grants of up to $1,000 were awarded to small communities or nonprofits that have worked in partnership with municipalities, to celebrate Arbor Day and form a shade tree committee within the municipality with the intention of beginning a community forestry program. In 2016, 13 communities received awards. The Council was able to award over $11,400 in grant requests in 2016.
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FORESTRY AWARENESS DAY The New York State Urban Forestry Council (NYSUFC) is an active member of the Council of Forest Resource Organizations (CFRO) which “urges executive and legislative branches to act now to protect the health and economy of NY communities and forests.” Each spring, NYSUFC members participate in CFRO’s annual Forestry Awareness Day in Albany. They host an annual Urban Forestry informational table, make personal visits to key legislators, and distribute important CFRO Issue Sheets. These issue sheets center on Urban Forestry, Biomass Energy, Forest Property Taxation, and Improving and Protecting Forest Health.
DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 7202600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 202509410, or call (800) 7953272 (voice) or (202) 7206382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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