NEWSROOM: TEXAS A&M FOREST SERVICE AWARDS HISTORIC $15.4 MILLION THROUGH FORESTRY GRANT PROGRAM(1)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 10, 2024
Texas A&M Forest Service awards historic $15.4 million through forestry grant program
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Twenty-two Texas cities, neighborhoods, non-profit organizations and schools received grant funding through the Texas A&M Forest Service Community Forestry Grants Program, totaling $15.4 million.
The grants will directly fund recipients’ tree planting, maintenance and community forestry planning and education efforts as part of their larger, unique urban forestry solution campaigns. The program also places a key emphasis on increasing schoolyard tree canopy coverage to 30% of a school’s campus to create accessible community treescapes.
“We are overjoyed with the number of communities receiving grants this year,” said Gretchen Riley, Texas A&M Forest Service Forest Systems Department Head. “We received many wonderful grant applications that meet several urban forestry needs. Beyond applications, organizations and communities across the state expressed interest in learning more about how to advance community forestry. These applications are a testament to the demand for a program such as this.”
The goal of the Community Forestry Grants program is to build healthier urban and community forests throughout the state which are essential for the economic, environmental, physical and mental well-being of all Texans. The strategy of these grants is to spearhead local programs across the state in addressing nature-based solutions to issues facing communities today.
“The impact that trees have on our mental and physical health is astounding,” said Riley. “Coordinating with schools across the state to focus efforts on increasing tree coverage at schools will positively impact the mental and physical health of students as well as provide them with hands-on forestry education and appreciation.”
The 2024 Community Forestry Grants Program awarded grants for eight categories.
Awarded in the category of climate resiliency was Ecology Action of Texas, Austin, $50,000.
Awarded in the category of geospatial analysis was Texas Trees Foundation, Dallas, for a statewide project, $550,000.
Awarded in the category of human health equity and accessibility was city of Lewisville Parks and Recreation Department, $50,000.
Awarded in the category of municipal forester was city of Duncanville, $100,000.
Awarded in the category of schoolyard forests was city of McAllen, $2,730,000; city of Pharr, $3,120,000; Rio Grande International Study Center, Laredo, $3,120,000; and Texas Trees Foundation, Dallas, for projects in Donna and Mercedes, $5,460,000.
Awarded in the category of Tree City USA was city of Ennis Parks and Recreation, $10,000; city of Lewisville Parks and Recreation Department, $10,000; and town of Flower Mound, $10,000.
Awarded in the tree planting category was Alief Super Neighborhood Council #25, Houston, $20,000; city of Denton, $20,000; city of Kaufman, $16,200; city of Laredo Environmental Services, $16,000; city of McAllen Parks and Recreation Department, $15,000; city of North Richland Hills, $20,000; city of Socorro, $14,374; Eco El Paso, LLC, El Paso, $20,000; and Lubbock Memorial Arboretum Foundation Inc, Lubbock, $20,000.
As a bonus award, due to previous unallocated funding and the applicant’s unique landscape scale solution proposal, a project partnership between Texas Tech University, city of Lubbock and Heart of Lubbock Neighborhood Association, Lubbock, was awarded $50,000.
Grant recipients will receive funding and begin their initiatives in June 2024.
The Texas A&M Forest Service Community Forestry Grants program was established in 2022 to address Texas communities’ needs for urban forestry investment. Previous recipients of this grant include city of College Station and Bexar Branches Alliance, a San Antonio non-profit.
Funding for the grants program is provided through federal and state funding and was significantly increased from $100,000 in 2022 to $16.65 million in 2023, in part due to the USDA Forest Service and the Inflation Reduction Act.
“These grants are critical to communities and organizations throughout the state in continuing proactive forestry practices,” said Al Davis, Texas A&M Forest Service Director. “By investing in our communities today, we are ensuring healthy forests and communities for all to benefit from.”
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Contacts:
Gretchen Riley, Texas A&M Forest Service Forest Systems Department Head, (979) 458-6663, griley@tfs.tamu.edu
Kate Faris, Texas A&M Forest Service Community Forestry Grants Specialist, (979) 458-6630, kate.faris@tfs.tamu.edu
Texas A&M Forest Service Communications, (979) 458-6606, newsmedia@tfs.tamu.edu
Connect | Texas A&M Forest Service awards historic $15.4 million through forestry grant program(1) TFS (tamu.edu)
A combined team of materials scientists from Rice University and Oak Ridge National Laboratory has developed a way to convert wood waste into a type of ink that can be used for the 3D printing of wood-like objects. The paper is published in the journal Science Advances.
Using wood to create objects such as tables and chairs is inefficient. After starting with cut boards or chunks of wood, the material is sawed, shaved and/or sanded to craft a desired piece—left behind are many small pieces of wood, along with sawdust. In this new effort, the research team has found a way to use the cast-off material from woodworking to create new objects made of wood.
To make their ink, the research team first chopped up the wood material into a fine dust. They then added chemicals that split the cellulose and lignin apart—both were then broken down further into nanocrystals and nanofibers. Next, the researchers recombined the two and added water, resulting in a clay-like mixture, which they used as ink in a 3D printer.
The team used the ink to create several small-form objects, such as miniature tables and chairs. They then used a freeze-drying technique to remove the moisture from the products and then cooked them at 180°C to fuse the cellulose and lignin. The result was a wood or wood-like object.
The research team found that by manipulating the printing process, they could introduce wood-like textures into the products they made. They also noted that the finished objects also smelled like natural wood.
Testing showed the objects to be up to six times as durable as objects made from original wood, though the researchers only tested balsa. They also found their printed objects were up to three times as flexible as similar objects made with original wood.
Though the process has only been tested with small objects, the researchers suggest that their process could be used for making much larger objects, as well, including real furniture, or perhaps even a house.
More information: Md Shajedul Hoque Thakur et al, Three-dimensional printing of wood, Science Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adk3250
FRITCH — A blanket of snow and rain that descended over the Texas Panhandle on Thursday helped firefighters to slow the spread of the largest wildfire in the state’s history, which has engulfed more than 1 million acres of land and killed at least two people.
But firefighters are racing against the clock to temper down the flames before the weekend, when weather forecasters predict another round of gusty winds and low humidity could again create dangerous fire conditions for the sprawling region in the top corner of Texas. Friday is expected to be warm and dry.
Texas Workforce Commission’s Office of the Commissioner Representing Employers sponsors the Texas Conference for Employers, a series of employer seminars held each year throughout the state. Employers who attend the seminars learn about state and federal employment laws as well as the unemployment claim and appeal process. We assemble our best speakers to guide you through ongoing matters of concern to Texas employers and to answer any questions you have regarding your business.
The conference will be held on March 1, 2024 at the Delta Hotels by Marriott & Wichita Falls Convention Center, 306 Travis St., Wichita Falls, TX 76301. To register for this event, click here.
Registration for this event is $200 and you can learn more about the Texas Conference for Employers here.
If you have any questions regarding registration, please contact Conference Planning at the number or email below.
Office Phone (512) 463-6389
Email conferenceplanning@twc.texas.gov
Nationwide through Investing in America Agenda
Historic funding from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act will increase urban tree cover, boost equitable access to nature, and improve climate resilience in communities covered by the Justice40 Initiative
WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2023 – Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service is awarding more than $1 billion in competitive grants to plant and maintain trees, combat extreme heat and climate change, and improve access to nature in cities, towns, and suburbs where more than 84% of Americans live, work, and play. Communities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and several U.S. Territories and Tribal Nations are receiving funding, covered by the Justice40 Initiative and made possible by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act – the largest climate investment in history.
The Forest Service selected 385 grant proposals from entities working to increase equitable access to trees and nature, and the benefits they provide for cooling city streets, improving air quality, and promoting food security, public health and safety. The funding was granted to entities in all 50 states, two U.S. territories, three U.S. affiliated Pacific islands, and several Tribes through the Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry Program.
“These investments arrive as cities across the country experience record-breaking heatwaves that have grave impacts on public health, energy consumption, and overall well-being,” said Secretary Vilsack. “Thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, we are supporting communities in becoming more resilient to climate change and combatting extreme heat with the cooling effects of increased urban tree canopy, while also supporting employment opportunities and professional training that will strengthen local economies.”
The Urban and Community Forestry Program is the only program in the federal government dedicated to enhancing and expanding the nation’s urban forest resources. This is the largest single USDA Inflation Reduction Act investment to date in urban and community forests.
“Today’s landmark funding from the U.S. Forest Service will increase urban access to nature, improve air quality, keep city streets cool during sweltering summers, tackle the climate crisis, and create safer, healthier communities in every corner of America,” said John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation. “That makes a huge difference for the grandmother who doesn’t have air conditioning, or the kid who has asthma, or the parent who works outside for ten hours a day. This investment will create not just greener cities—it will create healthier and more equitable cities.”
“President Biden set a bold goal to cut in half the number of people that do not have access to parks and nature by the end of the decade,” said Brenda Mallory, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. “This funding will expand access to green space in underserved communities nationwide, advancing the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to environmental justice and our Justice40 Initiative.”
This announcement is part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to advance environmental justice, generate economic opportunity, and build a clean energy economy nationwide. The grants are made possible by investments from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the largest climate investment in history and a core pillar of Bidenomics. The Urban and Community Forestry Program is part of President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which works to ensure the overall benefits of certain federal investments reach disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution and underinvestment.
The grant funding was open to community-based organizations, Tribes, municipal and state governments, non-profit partners, universities and other eligible entities. In total, the Forest Service received 842 applications requesting a total of $6.4 billion in funding, an indication of the urgent nationwide need to plant and maintain more urban trees.
Studies show that trees in communities are associated with improved physical and mental health, lower average temperatures during extreme heat, increased food security, and new economic opportunities. This historic funding will help the Forest Service support projects that increase tree cover in disadvantaged communities, provide equitable access to the benefits of nature, and deliver tangible economic and ecological benefits to urban and Tribal communities across the country.
Grantees used the White House Council on Environmental Quality’s Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool to help identify disadvantaged communities. This geospatial mapping tool identifies disadvantaged communities that face burdens in the categories of climate, energy, health, housing including nature deprivation, legacy pollution, transportation, water and wastewater, workforce development, as well as associated socioeconomic thresholds.
More information about the funded proposals, as well as announcements about the grant program, is available on the Urban and Community Forestry Program webpage.
More information on the historic Inflation Reduction Act is available on the White House Fact Sheet: One Year In, President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act is Driving Historic Climate Action and Investing in America to Create Good Paying Jobs and Reduce Costs
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect the correct number for the full mitigation amount of $975,000.
The 65-acre Pearl River development has been cleared for commercial use at Hwy. 71 and FM 969. The project will involve the construction of a rental community with over 650 units by Blakely Owner Apartments as well as office and retail space.
City Manager Sylvia Carrillo said the Pearl River project is the first under the Bastrop Building Block Code associated with tree mitigation. The city of Bastrop issued Blakey a land disturbance permit in May, allowing “certain grading and clearing work” on the property.
“While Pearl River turned in a tree mitigation sheet, our site development process issued a site, what we call a land disturbance permit,” Carrillo said. “However, in the preconstruction meeting, it was understood by all that this was going to be a clearing of the property as needed for the development itself. As a result, there are tree mitigation dollars that are owed.”
The details
The developer agreed to obligations outlined in the Agreement for Tree Mitigation.
“We worked out an agreement with Pearl River allowing them to put up a bond considering the trees a public improvement,” Carrillo said.
According to the Aug. 22 meeting’s staff report, this payment may be made to the bond, through the planting of 1,232 trees around the city or the payment of $975,000 to Bastrop’s Tree Mitigation Bond for the city to do so.
“Essentially, they put up the money for the trees and a bond; they have to do it within two years,” Carrillo said. “After that point, the city will begin to plant trees and other areas of the city to replace … the trees that were taken down at Pearl River.”
Six heritage trees were knocked down in the clearing of the Pearl River project. Originally estimated at around $1 million, mitigation costs were valued at $235,800 for the development’s 14 acre lot and $739,200 for the 50 acre lot in the city’s agreement for tree mitigation in July after further review.
“[If there was a default on the agreement,] we would act on the bond and get the security to either plant the trees themselves or provide us the cast to do it,” City Attorney Alan Bojorquez said.
Pearl River construction project underway in Bastrop | Community Impact
Our Tour des Trees riders have been preparing all summer for this year’s ride and we are just about to start our journey from Reno, NV to Half Moon Bay, CA.
Their legs are ready to go but they need your help to get them over the final hump towards their fundraising goals.
To help them over that final hump, anyone that donates $20 or more to a rider or team between now and September 10 will be entered into a raffle for a chance to win one of six $100 gift certificates from SherrillTree.
Make a donation to a Hermino at https://tour-des-trees-2023.blackbaud-sites.com/fundraising/herminios-tdt-2023-fundraising-page
Learn more about the TdT at www.tourdestrees.org and help us all reach our goals!
AUSTIN, Texas — Heat is not equitable. Austin’s eastern crescent is hotter than other areas of the city and one busy intersection soaks up more sun than any other.
“At Rundberg and Lamar, it is hotter than anywhere else in the city,” said TreeFolks Program Director Benjamin Bertram.
TreeFolks has planted 3 million trees in Central Texas and is still working to shade urban heat islands like the area around Rundberg Lane and Lamar Boulevard which is in the eastern crescent.
“It is the hottest because they have the least amount of trees and there is the most amount of impervious cover or concrete,” said Bertram.
Bicyclist dead after being hit by truck, run over and dragged by another vehicle in horrific West Side accident
To help, the Biden Administration is distributing $1 billion in grants nationwide to help cities, towns, tribes and organizations, such as Tree Folks, increase equitable access to trees and green spaces.
“We’re planning to plant 400,000 trees,” said Bertram.
Many of those trees will be planted in the eastern crescent which includes East Austin, Southeast Austin, and the Rundberg area.
Earlier this year TreeFolks planted 11,000 trees in East Austin near Agave Neighborhood Park. With the new grants, 400,000 more trees can help protect people from extreme heat and make communities more livable.
“This tree planting is the most cost-effective way of addressing climate change but while we’re doing that we’re also focusing on the community,” said Bertram.
Environmental groups such as the Environmental Protection Agency say air temperatures around urban heat islands can be 2 to 10 degrees hotter than in outlying areas with more trees. The impact of shade is even greater on surface temperatures.
“Right now, it’s 96 degrees in Austin,” said Elle Ignatowski with TreeFolks.
Ignatowski brought a thermometer to Agave Neighborhood Park to show how much hotter pavement and playground equipment will get baking in the direct sun.
“Gosh. This keeps going up and up. So, I think we are at about 130 degrees right now and I have only been sitting out here a few minutes,” said Ignatowski.
When the TreeFolks Communications Director moved to the shade the thermometer quickly started dropping.
“This went from 130-degrees and continuing to rise to, it’s been steadily dropping, so now we see about 112,” said Ignatowski.
In the shade, it did not take long for the thermometer to read the air temperature of 96 degrees.
“Having a tree-lined neighborhood or a tree-lined park versus not is just a huge quality of life, physical health, mental health difference,” said Ignatowski. “Imagine if you had more shade and tree cover, this could be a much more inviting and friendly place.”
Central Texas organizations including TreeFolks, City of Austin, American YouthWorks and Go Austin/Vamos Austin applied for $35 million in tree-planting grants. The goal is to use those trees to ensure everyone, regardless of ZIP code, has equitable access to shade and green spaces.
from: Austin plans to reduce urban heat by using $35 million to plant 400,000 trees (cbsaustin.com)
We are excited to announce that ISA has rebranded the ISA Certified Tree Worker Climber Specialist program as the ISA Certified Tree Climber Credential.
The ISA wanted the name and logo for the credential to reflect the most vital competencies assessed in the program. The new name is a better alignment for how our credential holders identify themsevles and how employers promote roles associated with the job, and visually, the logo illustrates the commitment to safety made by credential holders and those whole employ them.
Perhaps not as readily noticeable, but of fundamental importance, is the fact that the examinations for this program (both written and skills) have undergone extensive revision, overseen by experts and practitioners in the field, to ensure that they test knowledge and skills that are up to date with current practices and techniques used in the field by professional tree climbers. The new examinations will be available to candidates for the program in 2024 and you can read more about the Job Task Analysis that was performed for this credential in the June 2023 issue of Arborist News.
We are grateful to all current credential holders for this program and hope you are as excited as we are about this change, and that you will continue this journey and commitment to professionalism and safety with us.
For more information, please click here.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The presence of the invasive emerald ash borer (EAB) has been confirmed in Cooke County this week. EAB is an invasive wood-boring pest of ash trees that has killed millions of trees across 35 states since its arrival to the United States in 2002.
On June 21, Texas A&M Forest Service collected several adult beetle specimens in northern Cooke County and tentatively identified them as EAB. The beetles were collected in an EAB trap that is part of a state monitoring program run by Texas A&M Forest Service each year.
A specimen was sent to the USDA Department Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) national lab and confirmed as EAB. Due to the trap’s proximity to Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Forestry Services have been notified.
“EAB is a major threat to urban, suburban and rural forests as it aggressively kills ash trees within two to three years after infestation,” said Allen Smith, Texas A&M Forest Service Regional Forest Health Coordinator.
After confirmation from the lab, the county was added to the list of Texas jurisdictions under quarantine by the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA). TDA quarantines are designed to slow the spread of the insect by restricting the movement of any woody ash material leaving the quarantined area.
“Because EAB is transported unintentionally on firewood and wood products, the quarantine helps slow the beetle’s spread by restricting the movement of wood in and out of affected areas,” said Smith.
The beetle was first detected in Texas in 2016 in Harrison County. Since then, EAB has been confirmed in Bowie, Cass, Dallas, Denton, Marion, Morris, Parker, Rusk, Tarrant, Titus and Wise and now Cooke counties.
Each year, Texas A&M Forest Service sets traps and proactively monitors for the pest.
“Since 2018, we have deployed nearly 500 traps across Central, East and North Texas annually watching for the insect’s presence and movement,” said Smith. “Early detection of the beetle is the best way to stop the spread and avoid high ash mortality.”
Ash trees with low numbers of EAB often have few or no external symptoms of infestations. However, residents can look for signs of EAB among their ash trees including dead branches near the top of the tree, leafy shoots sprouting from the trunk, bark splits exposing s-shaped larval galleries, extensive woodpecker activities and D-shaped exit holes.
Communities and residents can find resources on identifying and managing EAB infestations and creating a community preparedness plan at http://texasforestservice.tamu.edu/eab/.
EAB photos and resources can be found at http://ow.ly/LIJi30lbBxz.
View the statewide summary of potential impacts of EAB at https://bit.ly/3zlJMcD.
For information from TDA on EAB quarantines, visit https://bit.ly/3INSlzV or https://bit.ly/3PzADlJ.
To report EAB, call 1-866-322-4512.
