Post-Fire Restoration and Recovery Manual for Western Urban Forests

A DRAFT of the  “Post-Fire Restoration and Recovery Manual for Western Urban Forests” has been posted to CAL FIRE’s UCF Homepage under a new drop down menu item titled “Urban Forestry and Fire Recovery.” This 100+ page document, by UCANR and the Pacific Southwest Research Station, edited by Igor Lacan, Francisco J Escobedo, and Alyssa S Thomas, is a great new resource for California and all western urban forests. The document is expected to be published by UC Extension soon, and in the meantime, download the DRAFT (in pdf format) here.

2024 National Census for Municipal Urban Forestry

Are you the tree manager for your city, town, or community? If so, please fill out the 2024 National Census for Municipal Urban Forestry. If multiple people manage your community’s trees, please coordinate a single response. The results of this important census are the basis for reports such as “Municipal Tree Care and Management in the United States: A 2014 Urban & Community Forestry Census of Tree Activities”.

Join the San Diego Regional Urban Forests Council (SDRUFC) for a captivating and insightful webinar featuring distinguished foresters and fire safety council representatives as they share their knowledge on the crucial topic of wildfire and tree management. During this online event, you will have the opportunity to delve into the most up-to-date research findings on the relationship between trees and wildfires, including preventative measures, defensible space regulations , and the crucial role trees can play in wildfire risks. Our speakers will also address the lasting impacts of the recent Los Angeles wildfires on local communities, ecosystems, and regulations.

Learn more about Invasive Shot Hole Borer (ISHB), Mediterranean Oak Borer (MOB), and other wood boring insects of forest and landscape trees. Presentations will discuss origin, lifecycle, geographic distribution, detection, trapping, and management of these pests.

 

Registration fee: $25

Widely adopted across Europe, this approach provides a new, actionable lens for tree equity and urban greening in North America.

 

In This Webinar We Will:

1. Examine The 3+30+300 Rule

2. Explain the details of the 3+30+300 cohort program

3. Give you one free 3+30+300 Map of Your City just for joining the webinar

WESTERN CHAPTER INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF ARBORICULTURE 

WCISA 91st Annual Conference and Trade Show

April 22-25, 2025 - Tucson, AZ

Full schedule available here.

Registration open.

Online Webinar

This webinar delves into wildfire mitigation, pre-planning, and best practices for incorporating wildfire risk into urban forest management plans. Experts from forestry, fire management, and community engagement will share proactive strategies, including fire-resistant landscaping, community education, and collaborative wildfire mitigation projects across jurisdictions.

Live in-Person at Witherbee Auditorium at the L.A. Zoo and Online Webinar

Ruth Borun Lecture Series featuring: Amy Stewart. The Southern California Horticultural Society is pleased to welcome New York Times best-selling author Amy Stewart as our guest lecturer for 2025. Her popular non-fiction titles about the natural world include The Drunken Botanist and Wicked Plants, as well as her latest book, The Tree Collectors: Tales of Arboreal Obsession, which will be her featured topic for this program.

12:00 p.m. Mountain Time
Online Webinar

Join us for an in-depth discussion on post-fire recovery and restoration, focusing on erosion control, stabilization, funding opportunities, and reforestation strategies. In this one-hour webinar, industry experts will share critical insights, real-world case studies, and innovative approaches to building fire-resilient landscapes and communities.

11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. (PDT)
Online Event

In this brief presentation Jan will share information on a number of common urban California pines. Pine identification can be challenging as there are several “look-alikes” around the region. This talk was initially designed to help resolve those issues back in 2015 but let’s just have some fun! Maybe, if we have time, we’ll even discuss a few non-urban (native) species.

WESTERN CHAPTER INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF ARBORICULTURE  

ArcGIS and Arboriculture: Transforming Tree Data into Actionable Insights

5:00 p.m. (PDT)
Online Event

This talk will introduce how ArcGIS can help harness the power of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to help arborists manage our communities’ natural assets. We’ll delve into how ArcGIS can be used to manage data, collect field measurements, calculate attributes, and display visual information to your clients in new and exciting ways. Learn how ArcGIS can make your tree inventory not only informative but engaging, enabling informed decision-making that supports sustainable urban development.

Wednesday, July 9, 2025
5:00 p.m. (PDT)
Online Event

Discover how AI tools like ChatGPT can assist consulting arborists by improving reports, automating workflows, and streamlining business operations. This session highlights practical AI applications in arboriculture and business, focusing on both the benefits and the effort required to get meaningful results.

SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY INITIATIVE

Urban Forest Improvement Grant Program

Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) recently announced a new funding opportunity called the Urban Forest Improvement Grant Program.  SFI’s Urban Forest Improvement Grant Program is designed to help organizations benchmark their urban or community forests against the SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard. These grants support the assessment of current management practices, offering valuable insights into how sustainably these forests are managed, as well as a roadmap of opportunities for improvement.

The application process is open on a rolling basis until 11:59 PM Eastern Time on May 30, 2027, or until all funds are awarded.

UC Davis released the General Plan Mapping Tool, allowing community members, policymakers, and advocates to easily view and compare local governments' General Plan policies across California.

 

Search general plans by keywords, and watch your results come to life as interactive maps showing cities and counties with search hits! Plus, you'll get a detailed table with links to the general plans featuring the highlighted keywords. Learn more.

Exciting news! The 3+30+300 Principle Handbook produced by the Yggdrasil - The Living Nordic City project, is now available for free download. The handbook gives you step-by-step information on using the 3+30+300 Rule. It also provides answers to frequently asked questions.  Download here.

Certified Urban and Community Forester Credential

Society of American Forester's partnership with the California Urban Forests Council sprouted the future of this credential for professionals across the map. Together we had a vision for professionals in the urban and community forestry space, and now we are making strides to offer this certification to the workforce. The "Certified Urban and Community Forester" credential promotes the holistic nature of urban and community forestry that's focused on resource conservation across the canopy intersected with the complex and dynamic infrastructure and stakeholder ecosystem. Learn More on the Society of American Foresters website and in this article, Certified Urban and Community Forester Credential Aims to Elevate the Profession and Grow SAF by Eric Wiseman, PhD.