COMMUNITY TREES 



REQUIRE A SPECIAL KIND OF CARE 



Margaret Hagen 



SINCE THE LATE '60'S, New Hampshire has had 

 an urban and community forestry program. At that 

 time, matching funds made possible street tree in- 

 ventories in Manchester and 

 Hanover and provided for dem- 

 onstration projects in Laconia, 

 Berlin, and Keene. As interest, 

 funds, and staff fluctuated, so 

 did the strength of the program, 

 but it was always there. Thanks 

 to the 1990 Farm Bill, some 

 grant money, and an exciting 

 new volunteer program. New 

 Hampshire's Urban and Commu- 

 nity Forestry Program is riding 

 high. President Bush's National 

 Tree Planting Initiative calls for 

 partnerships between the public 

 and private sector and has a 

 goal of planting and maintaining 

 nearly one billion trees per year 

 nationwide. The hope is that 

 volunteerism and public/private 

 partnerships will foster a perma- 

 nent spirit of stewardship in 

 communities. 



How is this working in our state? It's working 

 through partnerships between the New Hampshire 

 Division of Forests and Lands, the University of 

 New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, and the So- 

 ciety for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. 

 Staff from all three organizations, working together 

 provide a cohesive program for the entire state. 



In 1989, Governor Gregg established a task force 

 to look at community trees. Over the course of a 

 year, this group evaluated the status of urban for- 

 estry in New Hampshire and made a number of for- 

 mal recommendations. In June of 1991, based on 

 one of those recommendations, the New Hampshire 

 Community Tree Commission was formed. Its mem- 

 bers represent various public and private agencies, 

 professional associations, and interest groups. They 

 serve as an advisory group to the State Forester, 

 Jack Sargent, who oversees the development and 

 implementation of New Hampshire's Urban and 

 Community Forestry Program. 



One of the first projects launched by the Com- 

 munity Tree Commission was a statewide annual 



URBAN TREES 



LIVE AN AVERAGE OF 



SEVEN YEARS. 



WHaE 



COMMUNITIES NEED 



TO PLANT MORE TREES, 



THEY ALSO NEED TO 



INVESTIGATE WAYS OF 



HELPING EXISTING 



TREE POPULATIONS 



SURVIVE LONGER. 



Fall Foliage Photo Contest. The purpose of the con- 

 test is to heighten public awareness of trees and 

 their benefits. Prizes were awarded for the top foli- 

 age photos taken during the 1991 

 fall foliage season. There were 

 400 entries — many of the photo- 

 graphs were exhibited in the Leg- 

 islative Hall of Flags and at the 

 Farm and Forest Exposition. 



At about the same time last 

 fall, the Society for the Protec- 

 tion of New Hampshire Forests 

 launched the New Hampshire 

 Community Tree Steward pro- 

 gram. Under the leadership of the 

 program's coordinator, 20 volun- 

 teer stewards spent 30 weeks in 

 training. The training sessions in- 

 cluded such urban forestry topics 

 as tree anatomy and physiology, 

 identification, insects and dis- 

 eases, proper pruning and plant- 

 ing, and soil/water relationships. 

 The program also included 

 courses on fund-raising, public 

 speaking, presentation techniques, and field trips. 

 Stewards graduated in May and are now out in 

 the field working with Extension forestry and agri- 

 culture educators to bring tree planting and care to 

 communities. Stewards may deliver tree awareness 

 programs to schools and adult groups, evaluate a 

 community's trees, and/or help implement an active 

 planting and maintenance program. 



When stewards move out into the communities, 

 they are provided with information about town offi- 

 cials, the community's past efforts towards a tree 

 program, and the names of potential volunteers. The 

 hope is that as stewards move on to new communi- 

 ties, they will leave a volunteer group in place for 

 long-term planning and care. 



As of late June, the first graduating class had vol- 

 unteered over three weeks-worth of time in seacoast 

 communities, delivering school programs and prun- 

 ing workshops, developing and planting a new com- 

 munity nursery, and helping to develop educational 

 programs for future use. 



Last year's training for the volunteer stewards was 

 conducted out of the Urban Forestry Center in 



August/September 1992 21 



