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Home My WebLink AboutMT Urban & Community ForestryDear Montana Mayor, Montana's Urban and Community Forestry (UCF) Program needs your support! Many of your communities have benefited fiom program activities such as Tree City USA, Arbor Day grants, planting project grants and the technical assistance offered by Department of Natural Resources and Conservatiun's (DNRC) Urban Foresters. As explained during our presentations at past meetings of the Montana League of Cities and Towns, the funding for UCF programs nationwide is in question. Montana's UCF program is exclusively funded through a federal grant to the State of Montana fiom The U.S. Forest Service. The amount of the grant has been reduced over the past few years as described in the attached fact sheet. The proposed federal 2008 budget includes an additional 40% reduction in funding for the program. If approved, this reduction will require a significant reduction in services provided by DNRC and may result in the elimination of the Mont~n~UCF progrem~ To help stabilize funding for this program, DNRC has two proposals regarding urban forestry before the 2007 legislarare. If these proposals are funded, we could maintain the program while the federal funding picture is clarified. The first proposal is for a $100,000 grant fiom the Renewable Resources Program within House Bill 6, which would provide funding for grants to Montana communities to improve management of their urban and neighborhood forest landscapes. Currently, HB 6 has sufficient funds for the first 51 projects. Our proposal ranked 59th, so is not projected to receive the requested funds. The second proposal was for $200,000 over the biennium to replace anticipated federal funding reductions, and ensure stability for DNRC urban forestry staff. The proposed funding source was the Resource Indemnity Trust fund, which is enabled through HB116. Neither proposal has been approved during budget hearings within the Montana House of Representatives. There remains a possibility that the Senate could restore some of these funds during budget hearings before the Senate Finance and Claims Committee. If you feel the Urban Forestry Program is valuable to your community, please contact a member of the Senate Finance and Claims Committee and/or your state Senator to express support for these two proposals. You should specifically refer to the following: · $200,000 for the DNRC Urban Forestry Program within HBII6. I have included some general information outlining Urban ForesUy Program talking points, benefits, accomplishments and cunc~rus for your consideration. If you have any questions or wish information specific to your community's participation in the program please do not hesitate to contact me at 406-582-3204 cobtreesC~lvahoo.com. Thank you for your support of Montana's Urban and Community Forestry Program. Sincerely, Montana Urban and Community Foresl~y Association POINTS FOR URBAN AND COMMUNITY FORESTRY MISSION: Assist communities with creating, developing, and maintaining local urban forestry programs. PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS 2001-2006 · Percent of Population: 57% (528,607) of Montana's population (935,670) lives in cities, towns, and other US Census designated l!laees CDP's).(129 cities & towns and 56 CDP's) · 37 Tree City USA's; representing 418,664 citizens (45%) of Montana. Of the total population living in cities and towns (514,550), eighty-one percent (81%) live in TCUSA's. · Grants: 93 different communities have received 405 grants equaling $207,000. · Grant leverage: $490,000 in matching local project dollars, 20,416 volunteer hours. · Trees Planted: Approximately 600 large caliper · Education: Classes, Poster contest (3th place national winner), arborist training and certification · Technical Assistance: Provided at no charge to assist community employee tree care providers PROGRAM BENEFITS · UCF promotes the economic development, long term community development and quality of life for ali Montana communities, its citizens and non-citizens alike. · Healthier More Productive Community Forests · Available Services: provides, for free, services maybe not be available through private sector. · Tree Payback Average 40 year old urban tree in Montana o $840 in energy conserved, storm water, cleaner air & water, higher property values, protection from rain- sun-wind, improved business, lower urban temperatures, noise and visual buffers, increased sense of community o added 10%-15% toproperty values. o shaved 20% off your cooling costs. o 100, 40 year old trees cleaned 53 tons of Carbon Dioxide from the air, filtered out 430 lbs or air borne pollutants, has provided $84,000 in net benefits. PROGRAM POTENTIAL · Continue accomplishments; education, grants, more eeffified arborists, assistance to communities · Link to Biomass and Fuels Reduction · Insect and Disease support · Existing urban forest management and maintenance MONTANA URBAN AND COMMUNITY FORESTRY OVERVIEW Mission: Assist communities with creating, developing, and maintaining local urban forestry programs. Staff: One full-time state coordinator (Missoula); one full-time urban forester (Poison), and one half- time urban forester (Billings). · Services available to all incorporated and unincorporated cities and towns. · Examples of services provided: Information and Education to Communities, Volunteers and Tree Care Professionals: School programs, Arbor Day celebrations, workshops (pruning, planting, inventory) and arborist certification exams. Technical Assistance: Management planning, inventory, hazardous tree assessment, insect and disease, planting, pruning, project planning and rne.intenaane. Financial Assistance: Since 2001 over $200,000 in grants to communities (communities have spent an additional $450,000) including Arbor Day, Tree City USA, and other special project grants (example: Fort Benton). Volunteer Coordination: Average 5,000 volunteer days per year. Tree City USA: Currently 36 Tree City USA communities participating. Partnerships: Association of Montana Turf& Ornamental Professionals (AMTOP), Montana League of Cities and Towns, Conservation Districts, RC&D's, NRCS, and others. Montana Urban and Community Forestry Association (MUCFA): Volunteer advisory board providing recommendations to the State Forester on program management and development. We believe this is an important program to Montana communities. This program promotes the economic development and quality of life for Montana communities and citizens. The UCF Program provides, for free, services that are not consistently available through the private sector, especially in Cantml and Eastern Montana. Funding Situation · This program is currently 100% funded through the USFS State and Private Forestry Program. · Federal funding reductions from $226,000 in State FY 2004, $221,000 in FY05, $216,000 in FY06 to $165,000 for FY07. · National funding trend has been away from the West and rural states. Funding distribution is largely by formula. Formula changes to more population-based criteria in the last two years have distinctly favored non-rural regions and states with large urban centers. It took a very concentrated effort in 2005 by the Western State Foresters to maintain enough funding in the West to keep the programs functional. · Federal 2008 Presidents budget proposes 40% reduction is national Urban Forestry budget. · Our current budget of $165,000 funds 2.5 FTE ($153,000) leaving about $12,000 for operations and grants. The program cannot sustain its current service at this level. Mirdmai operations; vehicles and supplies for the three positions are over $12,000. · DNRC is pursuing multiple alternative funding options: Executive Budget Proposal in Governor's office requesting $100,000 per year of 2008/2009 biennium Resource Indemnity Trust funding. RIT fl.ulding would maintain and expand our grants to communities program and support minimal operations expenditures not covered through the federal grant. Federal funding would be utilized to fund FTE and the majority of our program operations cost. The Urban Forestry Program has also applied for a $100,000 Ranewable Resource Grant. The CJrant Application did not make the top proposal list that would be presented to the Legislature. · RIT funding is appropriate as the Urban and Community Forestry program can benefit the economy of the state and the lives of Montana citizens. 15-38-102(2) and 15-38-103(4) MCA. Sen. Tmdi Schmidt Sen. Keith Bales Sen. Gregory Barlms Sen. John Bmeggeman Sen. John Cobb Sen. Mike Cooney Sen Steve Gallus Sen. Ken Hansen Sen. Bob Hawks Sen. Rick Liable Sen. Lane Larson Sen. Dave Lewis Sen. Grog Lind Sen. Corey Stapleton Sen. Bill Tash Sen. Mirth Tropila Sen. Dave Wanzended Sen Dan Weinberg Sen Carol Williams SENATE FINANCE AND CLAIMS COMMITTEE 2007 LEGISLATURE Char SD11 Great Falls SD20 Otter SD4 Shelby SD6 Poison SD9 Augusta SD40 Helena SD37 Butte SD17 Harlem SD33 Bozemen SD44 Darby SD22 Billings SD42 Helena SD50 Missoula SD27 Billings SD36 Dillon SD 12 Groat Falls SD49 Misoula SD 2 Whitefish SD46 Missoula