Purpose:

NUCFAC's role is to activate and motivate all sizes and types of communities to properly plant, maintain, and preserve trees, canopy cover, and associated site resources in order to fulfill an American destiny that:

• improves the quality of life for citizens,
• develops a strong community identity,
• maintains a social system based upon personal freedoms, and
• creates an understanding of the biological, psychological, and cultural connections with ecological systems that is important to our communities and our lives.

NUCFAC through the identification of issues, resource allocation priorities, and challenge cost-share program recommendations is positioned to identify and invest in actions that will keep urban and community forestry programs across the Nation in tune with changing technologies, sound scientific management practices, and changing citizen values and needs.

NUCFAC's Assigned Tasks:

• Develop a national urban and community forestry action plan.
• Evaluate how the action plan is being implemented.
• Develop criteria and make recommendations for an urban and community forestry challenge cost-share program.

Urban and Community Forestry:

Urban and community forestry is defined as the management of trees and related natural resources in populated areas, from the inner city to the developing urban fringe and within small communities. With the passage of the 1990 Farm Bill the field of urban and community forestry has grown rapidly.

The management of these valuable natural resources can not be accomplished by the efforts of one agency or organization working alone. Federal and State forestry personnel need to involve local community leaders, volunteer groups, and community members to jointly develop management programs for a community's forest resources. In addition, efforts must be made to involve soil scientists, arborists, horticulturists, landscape architects, planners, sociologists, and many others to provide the full range of expertise necessary to manage these important natural resources.

The National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council is focused on developing information and techniques that will ensure the management of our nation's urban and community forest resources. The management of this resource is essential for the environmental quality and social well-being of our citizens. Urban environmental problems will be an important issue as we enter the 21st Century. Through a coordinated and ecological approach we can find solutions for these problems.