Auburn, Oct. 1, 2003 --- Five Booker T. Washington High School seniors from Tuskegee representing Alabama through the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and Auburn University’s School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences were among the hot topics of discussion at the National Urban Forestry Conference in San Antonio recently. 

The team spent the summer as urban forestry interns learning about the benefits and problems associated with trees in urban settings.  They also used the skills and knowledge gained in 4-H forestry judging to take an inventory of tree resources in downtown Tuskegee. 

The team, led by John Pullian, coordinator of the Macon County Cooperative Extension Office, and Dr. Brenda Allen, Extension urban forestry specialist and Auburn University assistant professor of forestry, developed a set of resource materials for use in urban forestry education to display at the San Antonio Conference.

They also developed resource materials to teach others about the benefits of trees in urban areas.  These included three posters, a Powerpoint presentation, a coloring book and a tabletop model of an urban forest that depicted benefits as well as problems and conflicts associated with urban areas.

“The outstanding exhibit prepared by the team as well as the exceptional manner in which they presented themselves set the exhibit hall and conference abuzz,” said Allen. 

In addition to the many compliments and words of encouragement received from conference participants, team members also received numerous requests for copies of the posters and coloring books.  They also have been invited by several other states to exhibit these materials at forestry-related conferences.

The urban forestry internship program is funded through the USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Grant Program.  For more information, contact Allen at (334)844-1066.  She may also be e-mailed at ballen@aces.edu.

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