Nebraska Community Forestry

10/18/2024

***Job Alert***
Guys! We're still accepting applications for one of our Forester positions. Come work with me!

The Nebraska Forest Service (NFS) and the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum (NSA) provide technical and financial assistance to clients across Nebraska, emphasizing rural forestry, community forestry, forest fuels reduction, forest health, forest products utilization, and fire protection. Our mission is....

08/08/2024

Join us in October for a fantastic conference!

Attention small communities and mid-sized cities: we have a tree conference coming up that's just for you! The 2024 Trees, People and Towns conference is right here in Nebraska this year, October 15-17 on UNL's East Campus in Lincoln. If you are a tree advocate, practitioner, planner, leader, city administrator, city clerk, non-profit, or in any way responsible for community trees, you are going to want to register for this one! We have a great line-up of speakers, sessions, networking opportunities and field trips planned, all geared toward helping you strengthen your community forest program.

Details and registration --> https://tpt.eventbrite.com/

07/22/2024

It's not too late to apply for Ten Free Trees!

It's not too late to get your applications in for the 10 Free Trees Program! 🌳

Ten Free Trees is a collaborative effort by the Nebraska Forest Service and Nebraska Statewide Arboretum that offers free trees for approved public projects and events. 🌱
Apply by July 31 to receive up to 10 trees for your project. Trees are available to plant this fall, and projects must be on public property with clear public benefits. Applications are especially encouraged for street tree plantings and neighborhoods of highest need.

To participate, recipients need to conduct public outreach efforts and report activities back to us.

Most trees are 4-8' tall, perfect for volunteers to manage but big enough to make an impact. 🌲

📅 Applications open June 1 - July 31 📅

For questions and more information, please visit: https://plantnebraska.org/what-we-do/project-funding/ten-free-trees.html

07/08/2024

***Job Alert***

Join our Park Maintenance division as an Urban Forestry and Property Inspector! This position includes inspection work in the enforcement of the Omaha Municipal Code relating to nuisance weeds, litter, vehicles, trees, and shrubs on public or private property in the city. Pay starts at $25.05/hour with step increases to $31.90. https://hr.cityofomaha.org/employments

06/05/2024

Holy moly.....

The Buttonball tree is an exceptionally large
American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) located in North Main St, Sunderland, Massachusetts, Northeastern United States.
Its height about 113 feet (34.44 metres) tall,, with a diameter of 12 feet (3.65 metres) at the base,, and 25.8 feet (7.86 metres) in circumference. It is estimated to be between 300- 400 years old.

05/20/2024

***Job Alert!!!***

Come work with us!

We're hiring! The Nebraska Forest Service has an open position for a Wildland Urban Interface Forester in Ainsworth, Valentine, or other Western Nebraska locations. To find out more and apply, visit go.unl.edu/forest

05/07/2024

We had a fantastic time climbing trees with the kids at Earth Day Omaha in Nebraska's State Champion swamp white oak! It's good to be back in the saddle! 🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳

05/07/2024

The Nebraska Forest Health Report for April is now available. Check it out here: https://go.unl.edu/fhapril24

04/22/2024

Hey everyone! I'm not on social media much these days but felt compelled to bring something to show and tell today. Enjoy!

Sometimes, art is the perfect weapon against ignorance. Banksy is at it again, this time bringing awareness to a very specific situation and a broader topic at the same time.

A 40-50 year old cherry tree in a North London pocket park was topped by the Islington Council, citing safety concerns and signs of decline. Context always matters; this tree is adjacent to public housing in one of the most dense urban areas in London.

Art should summon emotion in the viewer and, for me, this piece does that well. I have personally seen both turf grass and bushes sprayed with green dye in an attempt to quickly beautify a space suffering from biological problems. These sort of superficial solutions only exacerbate the disconnect with nature that caused the problem in the first place.

The first feeling that hits me is tragedy. Such a sad-looking tree in a neighborhood that could use more hope and joy. Topping is a practice that is usually detrimental to the tree. Healthy trees respond to topping by sprouting vigorously behind the cuts made. (see the historic photos of the tree below) The regrowth is dense and emerges from stubs that usually begin to rot quickly, causing a vicious spiral of more frequent pruning needs. What began as an attempt to reduce risk and avoid cutting this tree down will likely cost more than proper pruning or cutting it down now. Remember; all trees get cut down eventually. There's no avoiding that cost, only putting it off.

But wait! We should acknowledge the intentions of the managers of this tree, however misguided they may be. They value this tree, or they probably wouldn't do anything to it until the end. The simple act of directing resources toward this little cherry tree in a poor neighborhood that has many challenges shows that the Council understands the importance of community forests. This gives me hope that many other communities like Islington understand why trees matter and simply need better education and training to manage their urban forest responsibly.

As I consider the complexity of the situation Banksy is sharing with the world through his platform, I'm inspired and reminded that my own creativity and personal strengths can make a difference, too. Banksy's newest installation puts a spotlight on the concept of green-washing in a very literal way with a real-life scenario. I say it all the time: Urban and Community Forestry is a long game. The progress comes slow and steady while the setbacks can appear out of nowhere. Being an effective Community Forester starts with the technical tree knowledge to share with others, but requires social skills to create networks and influence those making decisions about trees like this cherry. I love trees and that brought me to this path in life, but I love people and they are what keep me working to promote proactive urban forest management everywhere I go.

Tragedy - Empathy - Hope

GH

Photo credit- BBC
Story- https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-68596824