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 2023 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)
USDA Foreset Service Liaison: Stephen Baker
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:

Blog Posts

New! April 2023 - Urban and Community Forestry Meeting in Nevada
October 2022 - Engaging Volunteers in the Wonders of Arizona’s Magnificent Trees
August 2022 - Small efforts can have big impacts on Idaho’s urban forests
June 2022 - Weathering the Storm in Bayard, NE

Publications

New! The latest WUCF publication features U&CF stories from 11 western states centered around the theme of resilience. The featured stories were provided by WUCF Committee members.

View the 2023 publication.

Past publications are featured below:

Individual stories from each publication are categorized below under each state/island name:

Alaska

Featured stories from Alaska include:

2023 Publication - Theme: Resilience (Published March 2023)
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:

2023 Publication - Theme: Resilience (Published March 2023)
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:

2023 Publication - Theme: Resilience (Published March 2023)
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:

2023 Publication - Theme: Resilience (Published March 2023)
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:

2023 Publication - Theme: Resilience (Published March 2023)
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://dnrc.mt.gov/Forestry/Community-Local-Government/urban-and-community-forestry.

Nebraska

Featured stories from Nebraska include:

2023 Publication - Theme: Resilience (Published March 2023)
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:

2023 Publication - Theme: Resilience (Published March 2023)
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:

2023 Publication - Theme: Resilience (Published March 2023)
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:

2023 Publication - Theme: Resilience (Published March 2023)
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:

2023 Publication - Theme: Resilience (Published March 2023)
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:

2023 Publication - Theme: Resilience (Published March 2023)
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.