Here we represent some of the many groups and institutions whose activities relate to urban trees and forestry.* Most offer materials or services for nonspecialists. See note in “Internet Sites” section on changes in Web addresses. For professional tree-care associations, see “Tree Wellness” section.
American Association of Botanical
Gardens and Arboreta, Inc.
351 Longwood Road
Kennett Square, PA 19348
http://www.aabga.org
Membership organization serving
North American public botanical gardens and arboreta. Publishes The Public Garden journal and a directory of internships and summer jobs at public gardens. Website links to institutional members.
American Forests
P.O. Box 2000
Washington, DC 20013
(202) 955-4500
http://www.amfor.org
Founded in 1875, a leading force in the protection, management, and enjoyment of urban and rural forest resources. Welcomes all tree enthusiasts. Sponsors National Register of Big Trees, Famous & Historic Trees (see sidebar), National Urban Forest Council (see below), and Global ReLeaf (see below). Publishes American Forests magazine.
PLANT YOUR OWN HISTORIC TREE—FOR PEANUTS!
For about the price of dinner downtown, anyone can own and perpetuate a tree descended from such ancestors as George Washington’s tulip poplar, Johnny Appleseed’s apples, and Elvis Presley’s Graceland sycamores.
Under the auspices of American Forests, a Famous & Historic Trees Program offers dozens of species cloned or seeded from illustrious American trees and some foreign stock (e.g., Napoleon’s graveside weeping willow). Planting kits ($35 in year 2000), contain the sapling tree, instructions, growing aids, and a certificate.
Tree profiles in this book note several of the historic scions. For a full and very engaging catalog, contact Famous & Historic Old Trees, 8701 Old Kings Road, Jacksonville, FL 32219. Tel.: (800) 320-8733; E-mail: historictr@aol.com.
American Horticultural Society
7931 East Boulevard Drive
Alexandria, VA 22308
(703) 768-5700
http://www.ahs.org/
Serves American gardeners through membership program. Gardening information hotline. Publishes American Gardener magazine.
Elm Research Institute
Elm Street
Westmoreland, NH 03467
(603) 358-6198
http://www.forelms.org/
Organized in 1967. Advises on elms and Dutch elm disease, funds research, supports broad plantings of American Liberty elms (Ulmus americana libertas). Publishes The ERI News newsletter.
Friends of Tree City USA
National Arbor Day Foundation (see below)
Organization of interested citizens.
For nominal dues/donation, members get bulletins on community forestry topics.
Global ReLeaf 2000
American Forests (see above)
American Forests’ national tree-planting campaign to restore and improve critical urban and rural forests. Plants millions of trees from modest donations. Offers curriculum/lessons guide for educators. Awards competitive grants to ReLeaf groups nationwide.
International Palm Society
POB 1897
Lawrence, KS 66044
(785) 843-1274 (fax)
http://www.palms.org/
Membership group and resource center devoted to palms. Publishes the journal Palms.
Metropolitan Tree Improvement Alliance
c/o Thomas G. Ranney, Professor, Horticultural Science
Mountain Horticultural Crops Research & Extension Center
North Carolina State University
2016 Fanning Bridge Road
Fletcher, NC 28732
http://fletcher.ces.state.nc.us/ programs/nursery/metria
Professional organization dedicated to developing better trees for metropolitan and urban landscapes. Publishes The Metrian newsletter.
National Arbor Day Foundation
100 Arbor Avenue
Nebraska City, NE 68410
(402) 474-5655
http://www.arborday.org/
Educational organization dedicated to tree planting and conservation. Sponsors National Arbor Day (last Friday in April), promotes local Days. Also sponsors Tree City USA (see below), Conservation Trees programs, and workshops. Publishes Arbor Day News booklets.
National Urban & Community
Forestry Advisory Program
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Forestry Service
20628 Diane Drive
Sonora, CA 95370
(209) 536-9201
http://www.treelink.org/connect/orgs/nucfac/nfback.htm
Recommends policies that foster quality tree planting and maintenance, volunteer community programs, training, research, and business-citizen cooperation.
National Urban Forest Council
American Forests (see above)
Coalition of citizens and professionals for development and management of urban trees. Holds meetings in various U.S. cities. Publishes Urban Forests newsletter.
Society of American Foresters
5400 Grosvenor Lane
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 897-8720
http://www.safnet.org/index.html
Represents professional foresters.
Publishes Journal of Forestry and Forest Science. Educational and research activities. Coordinates working groups, including one on urban forestry.
Tree Canada Foundation
220 Laurier Avenue West,
Suite 1550
Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 5Z9
(613) 567-5545
http://www.treecanada.ca/
Encourages Canadians to plant and care for trees to improve urban and rural environments. Education, technical assistance, resources, and financial support through working partnerships.
Tree City USA
National Arbor Day Foundation (see above)
For the honor of being an official Tree City, a municipality must establish a Tree Board or Department, enact a city tree ordinance, develop an annual Community Forestry Program, and decree an Arbor Day observance. A program of National Arbor Day Foundation (see above) with U.S. Forest Service and National Association of State Foresters. Applications from: National Arbor Day Foundation or state foresters. Tree City USA Bulletin newsletter advises on urban tree programs.
Friends of the Urban Forest
Presidio of San Francisco, Bldg. # 1007
POB 29456
San Francisco, CA 94129
(415) 543-5000
http://www.fuf.net/default.htm
San Francisco’s urban forestry citizen’s group, founded in 1981. Financial, technical, and practical assistance to individuals and neighborhood groups who want to plant and care for trees. Participants have planted over 25 percent of the city’s total street trees.
Friends of Trees
2831 NE Martin Luther King Boulevard
Portland, OR 97212
(503) 282-8846
http://www.teleport.com/~fot/index.shtml
Builds partnerships to plant, care for, and preserve urban trees. Coordinates neighborhood street-tree projects, school and natural-area plantings. Educational programs. Distributes trees and seedlings for yard plantings.
TreeFolks
POB 704
Austin, TX, 78767
(512) 443-LEAF
http://www.treefolks.org/
Helps renew Austin’s urban forest and ecosystem through public tree plantings and education. Promotes cooperation between businesses, schools, government, citizen’s groups, and individuals.
TreeKeepers
Openlands Project
25 E. Washington Street, Suite 160
Chicago, IL 60602
(312) 427-4256
Teaches nonprofessionals tree-care basics in seven-week course. Graduates are asked to give 36 hours during a year to community tree-care projects.
TreePeople
12601 Mulholland Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(818) 753-4600
http://www.treepeople.org/
Started in 1973 by 15-year-old Andy Lipkis, this is a model tree-action group inspiring the Los Angeles community to plant and maintain millions of trees. Strong on youth participation, welcomes all ages.
Trees New York
51 Chambers Street, Suite 1412A
New York, NY 10007
(212) 227-1887
http://www.treesny.com/index.html
Plants, preserves, and protects New York’s street trees “as a grass roots, people-oriented organization dedicated to community self-help.” Active in all five boroughs and surrounding region. Founded in the seventies, carries out support services through education, training, publishing, advocacy.
The Arboretum at Flagstaff
4001 W. Woody Road
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
(520) 774-1442
http://www.thearb.org/
Elevation 7,150 feet, encompasses 200 acres of ponderosa pine forest near Flagstaff. Educates visitors to plants and plant communities of the Colorado Plateau.
The Arboretum of Los Angeles County
301 N. Baldwin Avenue
Arcadia, CA 91007
(626) 821-3222
http://www.aabga.org/memberpages/losangeles/
Near Pasadena on 127 acres. Arranged primarily by world origins, includes such trees as acacia, eucalyptus, magnolia, and melaleuca. Also, tropical forest and palm sections, native Engelmann oak grove.
The Arnold Arboretum
c/o Harvard University
125 Arborway
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
(617) 524-1718
http://www.arboretum.harvard.edu/
Boston’s venerable tree-collecting, research, and educational institution founded in 1872, part of Harvard University. Manages collection of hardy trees, shrubs, and vines on 265 acres. Designed by first director, Charles Sprague Sargent, with landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. Publishes Arnoldia journal.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
1000 Washington Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11225
(718) 623-7200
http://www.bbg.org/
More than 12,000 kinds of plants on 52 acres. The long-range New York Metropolitan Flora Project is cataloging plant diversity of the New York–New Jersey–Connecticut area and studying effects of human settlement.
Dawes Arboretum
7770 Jacksontown Road SE
Newark, Ohio 43056
(740) 323-2355
http://www.dawesarb.org/
Founded in 1929 and located near Columbus, the Dawes Arboretum includes 1,149 acres of plant collections and natural areas offering educational experience year-round.
The Holden Arboretum
9500 Sperry Road
Kirtland, OH 44094
(440) 946-4400
http://www.holdenarb.org/
Largest U.S. arboretum, with more than 3,100 acres near Cleveland. Established 1931, focuses on woody plants of northeastern Ohio, which include a vast array. Education, research, and conservation activities.
Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania
9414 Meadowbrook Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19118
(215) 247-5777
http://www.upenn.edu/morris/
Official arboretum of Pennsylvania. Its Living Collection, on 166 acres, contains some 9,000 labeled plants, primarily trees and shrubs, from wide range. Includes historic Asian plants collected in China by E. H. Wilson and some 42 record-size trees of the Delaware Valley.
The Morton Arboretum
Route 53
Lisle, IL 60532
(708) 968-0074
http://www.mortonarb.org/
One of the leading U.S. institutions devoted to the growth and nurture of woody plants and maintenance of a healthy environment. An education and research center where scientists study urban forestry, tree improvement, ecological restoration, and landscape management and conservation. Visitor mecca featuring 1,700 cultivated and natural acres near Chicago. Publishes The Morton Arboretum Quarterly and Seasons newsletter.
The New York Botanical Garden
200th Street and Kazimiroff Boulevard
Bronx, NY 10458
(718) 817-8700
http://www.nybg.org
A National Historic Landmark, the 250-acre grounds feature dramatic landscapes and a 40-acre tract of the original forest that once covered New York City. Collections include flowering trees, conifers, and cherry trees. Largest publisher among botanical gardens.
Shaw Arboretum
Missouri Botanical Gardens
4344 Shaw Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63110
(314) 577-9400
http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/arboretum/guide.html
An extension of the Missouri Botanical Gardens, Shaw Arboretum includes 2,500 acres of Ozark landscape and managed plant collections. Near St. Louis in Gray Summit, Mo. Education, research, public programs. Founded in 1925, when St. Louis coal smoke threatened garden plant collections.
United States National Arboretum
3501 New York Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002-1958
(202) 245-2726
http://www.ars-grin.gov/na/index.html
Research, education, conservation, and display. The 444-acre campus in the capital contains an array of gardens, collections, and monuments set among native stands of eastern deciduous trees.
* Several entries are based, with permission, on a broader compilation by Patrick Weicherding for the University of Illinois Department of Forestry (“Urban and Community Forestry Resource Materials Guide,” posted on the Internet at http://www.ag.uiuc.edu/~forestry/guide)