Western Urban & Community Forestry Committee
Western Urban & Community Forestry Committee
The Western Urban & Community Forestry Committee (WUCF) was established as a forum to share information, collaborate on program delivery, and advance urban & community forestry (U&CF) in the West.
The WUCF Committee provides a channel for ongoing communication and collaboration between western states, the USDA Forest Service, and forestry partners. The WUCF Committee creates opportunities to leverage and share resources, expand the transfer of technology, and cooperate on shared goals and initiatives, including multi-state competitive grant applications. The WUCF Committee gathers for an annual meeting and connects quarterly via conference calls to coordinate their ongoing collaboration.
The WUCF Committee addresses emerging and ongoing U&CF issues at both the state and national level. It is a source of information and support for both the Council of Western State Foresters (CWSF) and the National Association of State Foresters.
Membership of the WUCF Committee includes U&CF coordinators from 17 western states and six U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands, as well as a liaison from CWSF and representation from the USDA Forest Service.
The WUCF Committee is led by a leadership team and is rotated on an annual basis. The 2022 leadership team includes:
- Chair: Cayenne Engel (NV)
- Vice Chair: Walter Passmore (CA)
- Secretary: Alyssa O'Brien (NM)
- Past Chair: Heather McMillen (HI)
- State Forester Advisor: Tom Claeys (ND)
- WFLC Staff Liaison: Laura Wagner
If you wish to contact a member of the WUCF Committee, please contact Laura Wagner.
Photo: Joshua Larson
Accomplishments
Each year, the WUCF leadership team produces a report for the WFLC Fall Meeting. This report highlights key accomplishments from the past year and a look at work for the year ahead. Recent reports are featured below:
Spotlight on Nebraska
Bayard, NE, proudly wears its Tree City USA status because it didn’t come easily. In June 2017, two tornados touched down in and around the small city of 1,000 people, causing widespread property damage. The storms also did a number on the area’s trees.
Learn more in Nebraska's featured blog post.
Publications
The WUCF Committee produces publications highlighting U&CF stories from across the western region.
The latest publication, Building Equity Through Community Forestry Connections, features stories from 14 western states and American Samoa. Stories are centered around the themes of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, along with the interrelated topics of environmental and social justice.
Past publications are featured below:
- Community Trees: A Wealth of Health
- Forestry in All Shapes & Sizes
- Healthy Trees, Healthy Communities
- Beyond the Zone
- Green Infrastructure in the West
Individual stories from each publication are categorized below under each state/island name:
Alaska
Featured stories from Alaska include:
- Building Equity Through Community Forestry Connections (Published March 2022)
- Community Trees: A Wealth of Health (Published November 2020)
- Forestry in All Shapes & Sizes (Published November 2019)
- Healthy Trees, Healthy Communities (Published October 2018)
- Beyond the Zone (Published February 2018)
For more information, visit http://forestry.alaska.gov/community/index.
American Samoa
Featured stories from American Samoa include:
- Building Equity Through Community Forestry Connections (Published March 2022)
- Forestry in All Shapes & Sizes (Published November 2019)
For more information, visit http://www.amsamoa.edu/institution/cnr.html.
Arizona
Featured stories from Arizona include:
- Building Equity Through Community Forestry Connections (Published March 2022)
- Community Trees: A Wealth of Health (Published November 2020)
- Forestry in All Shapes & Sizes (Published November 2019)
- Healthy Trees, Healthy Communities (Published October 2018)
- Beyond the Zone (Published February 2018)
For more information, visit https://dffm.az.gov/forestry-community-forestry/urban-community-forestry.
California
Featured stories from California include:
- Community Trees: A Wealth of Health (Published November 2020)
- Forestry in All Shapes & Sizes (Published November 2019)
- Healthy Trees, Healthy Communities (Published October 2018)
- Beyond the Zone (Published February 2018)
For more information, visit https://www.fire.ca.gov/programs/resource-management/resource-protection-improvement/urban-community-forestry/.
Colorado
Featured stories from Colorado include:
- Community Trees: A Wealth of Health (Published November 2020)
- Forestry in All Shapes & Sizes (Published November 2019)
- Healthy Trees, Healthy Communities (Published October 2018)
- Beyond the Zone (Published February 2018)
For more information, visit https://csfs.colostate.edu/forest-management/community-urban-forestry/.
Federated States of Micronesia
Featured stories from the Federated States of Micronesia include:
- Healthy Trees, Healthy Communities (Published October 2018)
Guam
Featured stories from Guam include:
- Community Trees: A Wealth of Health (Published November 2020)
- Beyond the Zone (Published February 2018)
For more information, visit https://doag.guam.gov/forestry/.
Hawai‘i
Featured stories from Hawai‘i include:
- Building Equity Through Community Forestry Connections (Published March 2022)
- Community Trees: A Wealth of Health (Published November 2020)
- Forestry in All Shapes & Sizes (Published November 2019)
- Healthy Trees, Healthy Communities (Published October 2018)
- Beyond the Zone (Published February 2018)
For more information, visit https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/forestry/lap/kaulunani/.
Idaho
Featured stories from Idaho include:
- Building Equity Through Community Forestry Connections (Published March 2022)
- Community Trees: A Wealth of Health (Published November 2020)
- Forestry in All Shapes & Sizes (Published November 2019)
- Healthy Trees, Healthy Communities (Published October 2018)
- Beyond the Zone (Published February 2018)
For more information, visit https://www.idl.idaho.gov/forestry/urban-and-community-forestry/.
Kansas
Featured stories from Kansas include:
- Building Equity Through Community Forestry Connections (Published March 2022)
- Community Trees: A Wealth of Health (Published November 2020)
- Forestry in All Shapes & Sizes (Published November 2019)
- Healthy Trees, Healthy Communities (Published October 2018)
- Beyond the Zone (Published February 2018)
For more information, visit https://www.kansasforests.org/community_forestry/.
Montana
Featured stories from Montana include:
- Building Equity Through Community Forestry Connections (Published March 2022)
- Community Trees: A Wealth of Health (Published November 2020)
- Forestry in All Shapes & Sizes (Published November 2019)
- Healthy Trees, Healthy Communities (Published October 2018)
- Beyond the Zone (Published February 2018)
For more information, visit http://dnrc.mt.gov/divisions/forestry/forestry-assistance/urban-and-community-forestry.
Nebraska
Featured stories from Nebraska include:
- Building Equity Through Community Forestry Connections (Published March 2022)
- Community Trees: A Wealth of Health (Published November 2020)
- Forestry in All Shapes & Sizes (Published November 2019)
- Healthy Trees, Healthy Communities (Published October 2018)
- Beyond the Zone (Published February 2018)
For more information, visit https://nfs.unl.edu/.
Nevada
Featured stories from Nevada include:
- Building Equity Through Community Forestry Connections (Published March 2022)
- Community Trees: A Wealth of Health (Published November 2020)
- Forestry in All Shapes & Sizes (Published November 2019)
- Healthy Trees, Healthy Communities (Published October 2018)
- Beyond the Zone (Published February 2018)
For more information, visit https://forestry.nv.gov/natural-resource-management/urban-and-community-forestry.
New Mexico
Featured stories from New Mexico include:
- Forestry in All Shapes & Sizes (Published November 2019)
- Healthy Trees, Healthy Communities (Published October 2018)
- Beyond the Zone (Published February 2018)
For more information, visit https://www.emnrd.nm.gov/sfd/urban-and-community-forestry/.
North Dakota
Featured stories from North Dakota include:
- Building Equity Through Community Forestry Connections (Published March 2022)
- Community Trees: A Wealth of Health (Published November 2020)
- Forestry in All Shapes & Sizes (Published November 2019)
- Healthy Trees, Healthy Communities (Published October 2018)
- Beyond the Zone (Published February 2018)
For more information, visit www.ag.ndsu.edu/ndfs.
Oregon
Featured stories from Oregon include:
- Building Equity Through Community Forestry Connections (Published March 2022)
- Community Trees: A Wealth of Health (Published November 2020)
- Forestry in All Shapes & Sizes (Published November 2019)
- Healthy Trees, Healthy Communities (Published October 2018)
- Beyond the Zone (Published February 2018)
For more information, visit https://www.oregon.gov/ODF/ForestBenefits/Pages/UrbanForests.aspx.
South Dakota
Featured stories from South Dakota include:
- Building Equity Through Community Forestry Connections (Published March 2022)
- Community Trees: A Wealth of Health (Published November 2020)
- Forestry in All Shapes & Sizes (Published November 2019)
- Healthy Trees, Healthy Communities (Published October 2018)
- Beyond the Zone (Published February 2018)
For more information, visit https://danr.sd.gov/Conservation/Forestry/default.aspx.
Utah
Featured stories from Utah include:
- Building Equity Through Community Forestry Connections (Published March 2022)
- Community Trees: A Wealth of Health (Published November 2020)
- Forestry in All Shapes & Sizes (Published November 2019)
- Healthy Trees, Healthy Communities (Published October 2018)
- Beyond the Zone (Published February 2018)
For more information, visit https://ffsl.utah.gov/forestry/urban-and-community-forestry/.
Washington
Featured stories from Washington include:
- Building Equity Through Community Forestry Connections (Published March 2022)
- Community Trees: A Wealth of Health (Published November 2020)
- Forestry in All Shapes & Sizes (Published November 2019)
- Healthy Trees, Healthy Communities (Published October 2018)
- Beyond the Zone (Published February 2018)
For more information, visit https://www.dnr.wa.gov/urbanforestry.
Wyoming
Featured stories from Wyoming include:
- Building Equity Through Community Forestry Connections (Published March 2022)
- Community Trees: A Wealth of Health (Published November 2020)
- Forestry in All Shapes & Sizes (Published November 2019)
- Healthy Trees, Healthy Communities (Published October 2018)
- Beyond the Zone (Published February 2018)
For more information, visit https://wsfd.wyo.gov/forestry-assistance-programs/community-forestry.
For more information on the WUCF publication or state stories, contact Sara Goodwin.