Urban and Community Forestry Program

Urban and Community Forestry Program


Current Urban and Community Forestry Activities

  • Notice of Meeting:  National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council (NUCFAC) Meeting February 28-29, 2024, at Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge, located at 7851 Second Street Southwest, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87105. Meeting will be held in-person and virtually from (Mountain Time) 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Thursday February 29, 2024, 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.  Virtual Access to the meeting will be Via TEAMS: 

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    Written and Oral Comments: Anyone wishing to provide in-person and/or virtual oral comments must pre-register by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on February 21, 2024. Written public comments will be accepted by 12:00 Noon Eastern on February 21, 2024. Comments submitted after this date will be provided to the Agency, but the Committee may not have adequate time to consider those comments prior to the meeting.
    All Council meetings are subject to cancellation.  For status of the meeting prior to attendance, please contact Nancy Stremple, Designated Federal Officer, DFO nancy.stremple@usda.gov.

    Draft Agenda

    The purpose of the meeting is to: Introduction of National Urban and Community Forestry Council members;

    1. Presentation about Valle de Oro National Urban Wildlife Refuge and community engagement;

    2. Discuss National Ten Year Action Plan, its Five Year Benchmark, Accomplishment Report, and process in Preparation for the Next Ten Year Action Plan (2027 -2037);

    3. Receive Presentation on Extreme Heat and site tour Thursday; 

    4. Schedule future meetings; and

    5. Other Council related items.

    The agenda will include time for individuals to make oral statements of three minutes or less.  Individuals wishing to make an oral statement should make a request in writing at least 3 days prior to the meeting date to be scheduled on the agenda.

  • Notice of Funding Opportunity:  2024 Annual National Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Cost Share Grant Program (PDF, 210 KB): Proposals Due February 29, 2024.

    This year’s annual Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Cost Share Grant Program is providing up to $1,000,000 (based on availability of funding) for Urban and Community Forestry investments that address the National Ten Year Urban and Community Forestry Action Plan (2016-2026), (PDF, 48.2 MB) (Action Plan): Goal 4 Environmental Health – Strengthen Urban and Community Forest Health and Biodiversity for Long-Term Resilience. Closes March 21, 2024. One or more awards are estimated as Cooperative Agreements.  The successful applicant(s) will work with the Forest Service’s National Reforestation, Nursery, Genetic Resources Unit to conduct a national inventory and assessment of urban nurseries around the country and its Territories. Apply now: Click on this link 2024 National UCF Grant Application Website to complete the on-line grant proposal application.


Urban & Community Forestry Inflation Reduction Act Grants

  • The Forest Service has announced the award selection for the 2023 Urban and Community Forestry grants.

  • Urban and Community Forestry Notice of Funding Opportunity:

    Note – this Notice of Funding Opportunity has closed

    In the Spring, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Urban and Community Forestry Program. Under the Inflation Reduction Act, the Urban and Community Forestry Program received a historic $1.5 billion to support urban tree-planting, urban forest planning and management, and related activities, particularly in disadvantaged communities. A wide range of eligible recipients for this IRA funding opportunity may apply, including: local and state governments; agencies or governmental entities for Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, Federal States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Palau, Virgin Islands, the District of Columbia or insular areas; Federally Recognized Tribes, Alaska Native Corporations/villages, and Tribal organizations; Nonprofit organizations; Public and State-controlled institutions of higher education; and community-based organizations. See the webinar for detailed information on this notice of funding opportunity


About the Urban & Community Program

Urban and Community Forestry Grants

By working with state partners and community tree groups, the program invests from the ground up in communities, improving more than 140 million acres of urban and community forest across the United States.

Urban and Community Forestry is a covered program under the Agency’s Justice40 Initiative established through Executive Order 13985.  To advance the mission of Justice40, the UCF program delivers 40% of the program’s investments through established and new partnerships working to support disadvantaged communities experiencing low tree canopy and environmental justice issues.

Learn more about how the program supports communities (PDF, 544KB)

Webinar: Justice40 and USDA/Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program – YouTube. This webinar features three successful long-term projects of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)/ Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program.

United States Department of Agriculture icon, Forest Service shield, and National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council text.

The National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council (NUCFAC) is an appointed advisory council to the Secretary of Agriculture on urban forestry and related issues. NUCFAC was founded to synthesize the full spectrum of views into a consistent vision, as a foundation for practical policy on urban forestry. 

Ten-Year Urban Community Action Plan

Priorities, tasks, resource allocation, partnerships, program direction, performance measures and accountability at all levels of the Program align with the seven goals outlined in the collaboratively developed Ten-Year Urban Forestry Action Plan (2016-2026).

Five year benchmark report cover page showing a person reaching up to pick fruit from a tree.

A recently completed Five Year Benchmark Accomplishment Report 2016 -2021 assesses the work of the Action Plan that has occurred between 2016 -2021 and identifies key opportunities for the remaining years of the Action Plan.  Read the Benchmark Accomplishment Report here (PDF, 1.33 MB).

Technology and Science Delivery

The Forest Service’s National Urban Forest Technology & Science Delivery Team delivers quality urban natural resources science, technology, and information to improve the long-term sustainability of urban ecosystems.

The team’s mission is to help inform environmental stewardship and sustainability with sound decisions about urban and community lands and the broader watershed, for wildlife and people.   

Vibrant cities 

Our Vibrant Cities Lab website provides tools, research syntheses, and case studies to help the public discover how a healthy tree canopy can enrich their own community.  

Use our Step-by-Step Guide to implement urban forestry in your community.  

Illustration

National Webinar Series 

Our National Webinar Series brings experts together to discuss the latest science, practice, and policy on urban forestry and the environment. 

Tune in every other month on second Wednesdays from 1:00pm – 2:15pm ET. 

Want to stay up to date on our upcoming webinars? Sign up for our mailing list. If you have questions or comments about this webinar series, or wish to present your science and innovative practice or policy on our stage, please email us! 

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