ALABAMA A&M and AUBURN UNIVERSITIES

PARTNERING  FOR URBAN FORESTRY IN ALABAMA

AUBURN, MAY 28---Alabama is an urban state.  More than 65 percent of the population lives in urban areas.

Recognizing that trees in cities provide economic, environmental, psychological and social benefits to all citizens, and that they have the potential to provide many more amenities, a new partnership recently was forged.  This new partnership represents an exciting opportunity for urban forestry in Alabama.  It provides for a more comprehensive approach to meeting urban forestry needs in Alabama.

The five principal partners are the Alabama Cooperative Extension System,  Auburn University School of Forestry,  Alabama Forestry Commission,  Alabama Urban Forestry Association and the USDA Forest Service.

This relationship of partners working together is intended to facilitate the advancement of urban forestry in Alabama, and to allow the positive impact of a strong program to be maximized.  Each organization brings a distinctive strength to the partnership.

"Working together as partners increases our overall capacity to respond to urban forestry needs in the state without competing with and duplicating services of each other," says Dr. Brenda Allen, Extension urban forester with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.

"Alabama's program is greatly enhanced by the central coordination, collaboration, and sharing of efforts, activities, resources and services that each partner uniquely contributes to the improvement and development of a strong management program for trees in urban areas."
(Color Picture available here; black-and-white here. For cutline, click here)

SOURCE:  DR. BRENDA ALLEN, Extension urban forester, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, (334) 844-1066.