Partners

The Delaware Forest Service is the lead agency providing technical assistance and grants to help communities with their tree canopy. The state program is advised by the Delaware Urban and Community Forestry Council, comprised of broad stakeholder representation. For more information, contact Kesha Braunskill, the state’s Urban and Community Forestry Coordinator.

The Delaware Center for Horticulture cultivates a greener community, inspiring appreciation and improvement of our environment through horticulture, education, and conservation. DCH’s Community Forestry program, though primarily active in Wilmington, has expertise that is relevant throughout the state.

DC’s Urban Forestry Administration (UFA), housed within the District Dept. of Transportation (DDOT), is the lead agency managing the District’s tree canopy. UFA has 20 trained arborists on staff managing trees in each Ward and plants thousands of trees each year along streets and in public spaces. For more information, contact Robert Corletta, DC’s Urban and Community Forestry Coordinator.

The DC Dept. of Energy and Environment (DOEE) promotes tree canopy through a variety of strategies, including the RiverSmart Homes Shade Tree Planting program for residential plantings.

Casey Trees is a nonprofit that works to restore, enhance and protect the tree canopy of the nation’s capital. In addition to planting thousands of trees each year on private and public properties, Casey Trees trains citizens to be active stewards and advocates of their tree canopy.   

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) is an independent, nonprofit association that brings area leaders together to address major regional issues in the District of Columbia, suburban Maryland and Northern Virginia. MWCOG’s urban forestry program collaborates with DC and surrounding localities on urban tree canopy projects.

The Maryland Forest Service (Dept. of Natural Resources) is the lead agency that provides technical assistance and administers statewide programs and regulations to help communities maintain and expand their tree canopy. For more information, contact Marian Honeczy, the state’s Urban and Community Forestry Coordinator.

The Maryland Urban and Community Forest Committee is a volunteer group of citizens, professionals, and government officials united to protect and enhance Maryland’s forest ecosystems. The primary functions of the Committee are to promote and coordinate the Maryland Community PLANT Award Program that officially recognizes communities planting and caring for trees, and to administer Grants to schools and communities through their local Forestry Boards that promote planting and care of trees.

Maryland Forest Conservancy District Boards are active in each county of the state. Board members work closely with their local foresters and primarily serve as advisory, educational, and facilitating bodies, collaborating on a variety of programs throughout the state.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (Lands & Forests) is the lead agency providing assistance to communities through local DEC Urban Foresters and ReLeaf volunteers. Financial assistance is available from the State through competitive cost-share grants. For more information, contact Mary Kramarchyk, the state’s Urban and Community Forestry Coordinator.

The New York State Urban Forestry Council is a volunteer group, organized formally in 1999, to advise and assist the NYS Department of Conservation (DEC) in executing its Urban and Community Forestry policies.

The Cornell University Urban Horticulture Institute’s mission is to improve quality of life by enhancing the functions of plants within urban ecosystems. In addition to research and helpful online publications and tools, one dimension of the Institute’s work involves working with municipalities to assess and manage their urban tree resources while applying appropriate technologies.

The Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry (Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources) is the lead agency providing financial and technical assistance to restore tree cover in Pennsylvania communities through the public-private TreeVitalize partnership. For more information, contact Rachel Reyna, Section Chief, Rural and Community Forestry.

TreePennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Urban and Community Forestry Council, is a state-wide, non-profit organization dedicated to nurturing the growing forests throughout Pennsylvania’s urban landscape. A core partner in the state’s TreeVitalize partnership, the Council administers competitive grants to communities and supports other trainings and technical assistance.

Penn State Extension’s staff of regional extension urban foresters help communities manage their trees and green spaces properly and safely through technical advice, educational workshops, and grants that promote proper tree planting and tree care. As a core TreeVitalize partner, extension leads webinars in community forestry and green infrastructure, and supports a variety of training opportunities statewide.

.

The Virginia Deparment of Forestry is the lead agency providing technical assistance and competitive grant programs to promote community tree canopy. For more information, contact Barbara White, the state’s Urban and Community Forestry Coordinator.

Trees Virginia is the non-profit Urban Forest Council for Virginia, promoting community tree canopy through a variety of education and outreach activities. Trees Virginia coordinates the state Tree Stewards program and supports regional Urban Forestry Roundtables in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads, with a variety of presentations and resources archived online.

Virginia Cooperative Extension’s Urban and Community Forestry program promotes community tree canopy through research, online publications and resources, and technical assistance.

The Green Infrastructure Center, Inc. (GIC) was formed in 2006 to help local governments, communities, and regional planning organizations, land trusts and developers evaluate their green infrastructure assets and make plans to conserve them. GIC has assisted communities in Virginia and other states in urban tree canopy assessment and planning.

The West Virginia Division of Forestry is the lead agency providing technical and financial assistance to support community tree canopy throughout the state.  For more information, contact Bob Hannah, the state’s Urban and Community Forestry Coordinator.

The Cacapon Institute provides urban tree canopy technical assistance to the West Virginia panhandle counties in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and administers the “Carla Hardy WV Project Communitree” grant program. For more information, contact Frank Rodgers, WV’s Chesapeake Tree Canopy Coordinator.