Trees are important for both urban and rural ecosystems. Mature trees maintain desirable microclimates and shelter wildlife. Trees also have economic value as a raw material used in producing paper, buildings, furniture, and other wood products. Examples of communities balancing these environmental and economic considerations are in this section.
(clicking on the links below will take you directly to the site)
American Forests. CITYgreen. CITYgreen is a GIS software tool that helps people understand the value of trees to the local environment. Planners and natural resource professionals use the program to test landscape ordinances, evaluate site plans, and model development scenarios that capture the benefits of trees. To obtain this resource contact American Forests' Urban Forestry Department; Tel: 800.368.5748. Further information is available at http://www.americanforests.org/trees_cities_sprawl/citygreen/index.html.
Forestworld, Website: http://www.forestworld.com. This Internet site is a comprehensive fully-searchable database of sites relating to the forest industry.
The Forest Partnership (TFP), 431 Pine Street, P.O. Box 426, Burlington, VT 05402, Tel: 802.863.6789, Fax: 802.863.4344, Email: wow@together.net, Website: http://homepages.together.net/~wow/Index.htm. TFP is an educational and consulting organization focused on using the marketplace to effect environmental change and helping bridge the gap between the economic needs of the forest products industry and the ecological concerns of the environmental community.
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), 1134 29th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037, Tel: 877.372.5646, Fax: 202.342.6589, Email: info@foreststewardship.org, Website: http://www.fscus.org. The FSC promotes responsible forest management by evaluating and accrediting certifiers, encouraging the development of national and regional forest management standards, and strengthening national certification capacity through the development of certification initiatives worldwide.
Forest Sustainability Program, USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Area, State and Private Forestry, 271 Mast Road, Durham, NH 03824, Tel: 603.868.7737, Fax: 603.868.1066, Website: http://www.na.fs.fed.us/sustainability. This web site contains information about Forest Sustainability Assessment; the Database of Sustainability/Criteria and Indicators; Forest Resources Planning; and Ecological Information and Mapping(ECOMAP).
Forest Trends, 1826 Jefferson Place, NW, Washington, DC 20036, Tel: 202.530.2020, Fax: 202.530.2021, Email: ddidio@forest-trends.org, Website: http://www.forest-trends.org. The mission of Forest Trends is to maintain and restore forest ecosystems by promoting incentives that diversify trade in the forest sector, moving beyond exclusive focus on lumber and fiber to a broader range of products and services.
Good Wood Alliance, 289 College Street, Burlington, VT 05401, Tel: 802.862.4448, Fax: 802.658.4443, Email: warp@together.net, Website: http://www.web.apc.org/goodwood/menu.html. The Good Wood Alliance is an association dedicated to encouraging forest conservation through responsible wood use. Its website contains a directory of suppliers of sustainably-harvested lumber.
National Community Forestry Center (NCFC), c/o National Network of Forest Practitioners, 29 Temple Place, Second Floor, Boston, MA 02111, Tel: 617.338.7821, Fax: 617.422.0881, Email: ajit@nnfp.org, Website: http://www.nationalcommunityforestrycenter.org. The NCFC is designed to help rural people ask and answer questions that relate to the well-being of their forests and communities, with the goal of improving their capacity to solve problems.
Rainforest Alliance, 65 Bleaker Street, 6th floor, New York, NY 10012, Tel: 212.677.1900, Fax: 212.677.2187, Email: canopy@ra.org, Website: http://www.rainforest-alliance.org. The Rainforest Alliance, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of tropical forests, develops and promotes economically viable and socially desirable alternatives to the destruction of this endangered natural resource.
TreeLink, 364 East Broadway, Salt Lake City, UT 84103, Tel: 801.359.1933, Email: info@treelink.org, Website: http://www.treelink.org. This site was created to provide information, research, and networking for people working in urban and community forestry.
Wood Reduction Clearinghouse (WRC), P.O. Box 19367, Washington, DC 20036, Tel: 202.387.8030, Fax: 202.234.5176, Email: lesswood@igc.apc.org, Website: http://www.crest.org/efficiency/strawbale-list-archive/9603/msg00182.html. The WRC uses a whole-systems approach to protect natural forests by reducing wood consumption while developing sustainable economies, expanding meaningful employment, and restoring natural habitats.
Back to Top
Edminster, Ann and Sami Yassa. Efficient Wood Use in Residential Construction: A Practical Guide to Saving Wood, Money, and Forests. (New York, NY: Natural Resources Defense Council, 1998). This handbook describes ways to use wood efficiently in residential design and contruction, creating a "win-win" opportunity for building industry professionals and the environment. To obtain this resource contact NRDC Publications Department, 40 West 20th Street, New York 10011-4211.
Midwest Research Institute. Projects and Programs for Economic Recovery in Forest-Dependent Communities - Case Studies. (1994). The project profiles provide community leaders in small timber towns with ideas on "must do" activities for economic recovery and stabilization. To obtain this resource contact the Midwest Research Institute, 425 Volker Boulevard, Kansas City, MO 64110; Tel: 816.753.7600, ext. 1237..
Applegate Partnership, Ore.; Formerly antagonistic industry representatives, conservation groups, government agencies, and local residents developed innovative approaches to ecological forest management.
Clinch Powell Sustainable Development Initiative, Virginia; Residents of rural communities in SW Virginia and NE Tennessee established a coordinating body to facilitate development based on sustainable agriculture and forestry and eco-tourism.
We will appreciate your comments on, and suggestions for, this area of the SCN!
Please provide your name and email address: Back to Top
Agriculture & Food Systems
Fisheries
Forestry & Wood Products
Manufacturing & Industry
Small Business
Technology
Community Economics & Finance
Urban/Rural Economic Ties
To SCN home page
Sustainable Communities Network (SCN) Revised August 10, 2001