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Urban and Community Forestry
Urban and Community Forestry Grant Projects
In the Pacific Northwest, the Forest Service awarded more than $100 million in funding to municipal and state governments, Tribes, non-profits, universities, and community-based organizations.
View the interactive Urban and Community Forestry Projects map
No matter where we live, whether in the city or in rural areas, forests and open space play an important role in our lives.
Urban and community forests include all publicly and privately owned trees within an urban or community area, such as public gardens, street trees, urban parks, landscaped boulevards and river and coastal promenades, among others. They make up an important component of America’s green infrastructure, supporting the health and function of cities and towns through the services that they provide. Acknowledging the ecological, economic, and social benefits of these forests, the Forest Service is dedicated to helping cities transition to a sustainable future.
The Forest Service supports vibrant and healthy urban communities by supporting healthy urban forests.
More than 80% of people in the United States live in cities, towns, or rural communities – and most of those people experience nature primarily in our urban and community forests. These trees, parks and forested areas provide many benefits including
- Green infrastructure (trees and vegetation) for managing stream water run off
- Improved human health and well-being
- Reduced air and water pollution
- Reduced residential and business energy use
- Wildlife Habitat
- Mitigating climate change
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The Forest Service’s Urban & Community Forestry Program works closely with state forestry agencies and other partners to support critical urban & community forest programs.
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The U.S. Forest Service step-by-step guide to implementing urban forestry in your community. Find the pathway which best suits your community — that addresses your own goals, excites your leadership, engages your residents, and helps enlist your peers.
Why do we care about Urban Forestry?
References & Resources
Urban Forests; Forest Service: Learn more about Forest Service work in urban areas.
Urban Forests and Climate Change; Forest Service: Urban forests play an important role in climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Urban Forestry; Urban Greening Research: This website, created by Dr. Kathleen Wolf and colleagues at the University of Washington, supported in part by the U.S. Forest Service, documents research on the benefits of urban trees and forests.
Vibrant Cities Lab: This website provides research and real examples of how urban trees improve human health, economic development, equity, water and air quality, and many other topics. Check out the Urban Forestry Toolkit for step-by-step guides for implementing urban forestry in your community.
Contact
For additional information on the Forest Service's Urban and Community Forestry program in Alaska, Oregon, and Washington, contact Stephen Baker, Urban Forestry Coordinator, at stephen.baker@usda.gov.