Last week NASF joined partners from the Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition to meet with congressional offices and address the vital importance of trees and green infrastructure for America’s communities. The event took place during the 2013 ACTrees Policy Summit.
Topics of discussion during meetings with congressional representatives and their staff included:
- Support for the US Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry Program, which is vital to creating and maintaining healthy, livable communities of all sizes, with urban trees a key component of sustainable green infrastructure.
- Support for the Forest Service Forest Health Management program that provides technical and financial assistance to states and territories to maintain healthy, productive forest ecosystems on non-federal forest lands.
- The value of the USDA Early Plant Pest Detection Program, which works to prevent the introduction and spread of plant pests and diseases.
- Continuing the Urban Natural Resources Research through U.S. Forest Service helping to clarify, assess, and quantify the effects of urban trees and green space on air quality, climate change, energy consumption, water quality, and human health.
- Encouraging support for EPA’s Urban Waters Federal Partnership, as urban forests play a vital role in delivering clean water to communities.