TreeVitalize.  "Our mission is to develop a public private partnership, through regional collaboration, to address the loss of tree cover in the five-county Southeastern Pennsylvania region."
In March 2003, the USDA Forest Service and American Forests, Inc, in collaboration with Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) released a study that estimates the 5-county Philadelphia region has lost 5 million trees over the past 15 years.  This loss impacts municipalities, neighborhoods and homeowners through increased stormwater runoff, lower air quality and increased energy costs.  The State, through the DCNR and DEP, [Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Preservation] has committed $3 million for this effort.  Additional financial support is being sought from the federal government, local government, foundations and private industry.”  The Morris Arboretum collaborates with the Tree Vitalize program in the Philadelphia area, making recommendations on which species of tree to plant, helping to select nursery trees, and supervising tree planting activities.

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Fairmount Park's Environment, Stewardship & Education Division (ES&ED), formerly called the Natural Lands Restoration and Environmental Education Program (NLREEP).  Created in 1997 to work towards the goal of healthy ecosystems.  The program "works throughout the park system-- most notably in seven watershed and estuary parks:  Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR), Cobbs Creek, Fairmount (East/West), Tacony Creek, Pennypack, Poquessing Creek and Wissahickon Valley-- to build a constituency for the Park's protection through environmental education and public stewardship."
Since 1998, more than 24,000 trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants have been planted by program volunteers!  See also the Fairmount Park Commission's Education web page.

USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Area, Urban and Community Forestry.  "The USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Area, Urban and Community Forestry collaborates to support the needs of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia through the transfer of new technologies, programs and the effective delivery of products and solutions.  The Center identifies, transfers, and replicates innovative technologies, research and cooperative programs related to urban and community forestry and assures these resources are available and easily accessible to partners throughout the Mid-Atlantic."
Features an excellent links page.  See also the USDA Northeast Center for Urban and Community Forestry web site, and the links page for that site.  You can even visit the USDA Forest Service main site.

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The Pennsylvania Urban and Community Forestry Council.  "The Pennsylvania Urban and Community Forestry Council is a nonprofit organization made up of all kinds of people who want to improve our community forests and green spaces.  The Council guides a statewide program that provides technical and financial assistance for communities and volunteer groups."
Various publications can be ordered from this web site.  Click here to download a list of contacts for the different regions of the Commonwealth.  (Document is a PDF; if you can not open PDFs, click here to download Adobe® Reader® 7.0 for free.)

Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's "Philadelphia Green".  "A program of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Philadelphia Green is the nation's most comprehensive urban greening program.  Since 1974, Philadelphia Green has supported the development and ongoing care of community gardens, neighborhood parks and high-profile public green spaces in Philadelphia."

Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's "Tree Tenders".  "Established in 1993, Tree Tenders starts with a basic training course designed to teach general tree-care skills to organized community groups and individuals in Philadelphia.  After completing the basic training, graduate Tree Tenders may choose from a series of continuing education sessions on a variety of tree-related topics."
This program has been a valuable resource to neighborhood organizations and other small, local entities, and has helped people understand how to select the right trees for given locations, plant new trees properly, and care for these trees once they are planted.  So far, more than 1,400 people from all over the city have been trained in this program.

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The "Trees Are Good" web site from the International Society for Arboriculture.  "The International Society of Arboriculture is a worldwide professional organization dedicated to fostering a greater appreciation for trees and to promoting research, technology, and the professional practice of arboriculture.  The ISA created www.treesaregood.org to provide the general public with quality arboriculture, or tree care, related information.  ISA's mission is to educate and help the public acquire an understanding of the importance and value of proper tree care.  ISA focuses on networking and communicating with others from throughout the world to collaborate and obtain the latest researched, quality information on arboriculture-related news, techniques, and technology."
This webpage is an excellent source to obtain information on specific topics, to answer questions, and to locate an ISA Certified Arborist near you.

American Forests.  "Our mission is to grow a healthier world... Our vision is to have healthy forest ecosystems for every community... American Forests is a world leader in planting trees for environmental restoration, a pioneer in the science and practice of urban forestry, and a primary communicator of the benefits of trees and forests... American Forests is the nation's oldest nonprofit citizens' conservation organization.  Citizens concerned about the waste and abuse of the nation's forests founded American Forests in 1875."
American Forests' Global ReLeaf campaign is helping to restore native tree cover across the country and around the world, and their Stream ReLeaf program (a partnership with the PA DEP) helped fund the Paper Mill Run restoration project at the Morris Arboretum in 1998.  Their site includes the searchable Registry of National Champion Trees, which lists the largest individual trees of each species found in the entire United States.

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Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell's new Growing Greener II plan; investing in pollution cleanup, preservation of open space and agricultural land, and improving parks and recreational lands.  "The original Growing Greener legislation was signed into law by Governor Tom Ridge on December 15, 1999. Called the Environmental Stewardship and Protection Act, funds were allocated for farmland preservation, state park and local recreation projects, waste and drinking water improvements and watershed restoration programs.  Growing Greener II will continue and expand the important programs that tie together economic and community development with environmental initiatives."

Mid-Atlantic Urban and Community Forestry Resource Library's search page.  "The purpose of the Mid-Atlantic Urban and Community Resource Library Database is to provide a fairly comprehensive listing of books, articles, fact sheets, brochures, slide programs, videos, and other publications produced by our State partners, research, universities, non-profit organizations, cooperative extension, and the Forest Service.  The goal of this database is to promote regional sharing of information and provide a means by which the Mid-Atlantic Center for Urban and Community Forestry can begin to develop a resource lending library."

Forestry / Forest Management Publications from the PSU College of Agricultural Sciences.  Lists 35 publications; some of them are available for immediate, free download.

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Penn State University Montgomery County Cooperative Extension.  "Penn State Cooperative Extension in Montgomery County gives local residents easy access to the resources and expertise of the Pennsylvania State University.  Through educational programs, publications, and events, cooperative extension agents deliver unbiased, research-based information to Montgomery County citizens."

The Northeastern IPM Center.  "The Northeastern Integrated Pest Management Center fosters the development and adoption of IPM, a science-based approach to managing pests in ways that generate economic, environmental, and human health benefits.  We work in partnership with stakeholders from agricultural, urban, and rural settings to identify and address regional priorities for research, education, and outreach."
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a modern approach to treating pest and disease in plants; it involves treatments which target specific pests, and may employ systemic or contact chemical poisons or hormone inhibitors, but also can include the use of biological controls such as natural predators or diseases of the pest in question, and even cultural control practices such as interplanting or substitution.  This web site features links to agriculturally-relevant IPM information for the twelve Northeastern states and contact information for state IPM experts.  (You can also go directly to Pennsylvania's page on this site.)

The Pennsylvania Integrated Pest Management Program.  "The PA IPM Program is a collaboration of The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and The Pennsylvania State University.  Our goal is to promote Integrated Pest Management in both agricultural and nonagricultural environments."

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The Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia (JASGP).  During their spring Cherry Blossom Festival, this organization "beautifies the Philadelphia landscape by annually planting and maintaining 100 cherry trees in Fairmount Park as a gift to the city.  JASGP has planted 700 trees since 1998.  In 2005, 100 trees will be added at Belmont Plateau.  The Festival continues a legacy established in 1926 when the Japanese government donated cherry trees to Philadelphia in honor of the Sesquicentennial of American independence."

The National Arbor Day Foundation.  "We inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees...   We envision a world where trees and forests are abundant, healthy, and sustainable, and highly valued by all people."
In Pennsylvania, Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Friday in April; to find out what when it is celebrated in your state, consult their interactive US map.

The National Tree Trust.  "The National Tree Trust promotes healthy communities by providing resources that educate and empower people to grow and care for urban and community forests."
The National Tree Trust provides education and financial support for nonprofit urban and community forestry programs around the country.

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The Pennsylvania Forestry Association (PFA).  "The Pennsylvania Forestry Association is a broad-based citizens organization, provides leadership in sound forest management advice and education and promotes wise stewardship to private land owners, resulting in benefits for the residents of the Commonwealth...  The PFA's vision is healthy sustainable forest resources that provide multiple benefits for present and future generations."

Big Trees Across America!  Click on a state to find your state's State Champion Tree list, or simply a list of impressive trees in your state.  (Not available for all states; some lists may only be available for purchase.)

Tree City USA.  "Tree City USA, sponsored by The National Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters, provides direction, technical assistance, public attention, and national recognition for urban and community forestry programs in thousands of towns and cities that more than 93 million Americans call home."

Michigan State University's Urban Forestry Database.  (part of the Information Access Center).  "A joint project of MSU Extension, and the Michigan State University Library.  The MSU IAC [Information Access Center] is an on-line database of World-Wide Web and e-mail links to MSU expertise and outreach resources and activities."
This site lists MSU resources as well as links to outside resources.  See also the Urban Planning Database and the Plant Maintenance Database.

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Forest and Tree Health Fact Sheets.  Free, downloadable documents, including leaflets, pamphlets, pest alerts, and bulletins from the USDA Forest Service St. Paul Field Office (Midwest Region).  See also the Forest Insect and Disease Leaflets.

Forest Pests of North America.  A collaborative project between the University of Georgia's Warnell School of Forest Resources and College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Dept. of Entomology, and the USDA Forest Service Forest Health Protection Service.  Find information on identification and treatment of such tree pests as the hemlock wooly adelgid or the dreaded Asian longhorned beetle; free, downloadable documents.

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