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What’s
Happening in Urban Forestry Want to receive this newsletter by e-mail? To subscribe please send a message to newsletter@caufc.org with the word “ADD” in the subject line.
CaUFC
Has Moved
New
Personnel 2003
Statewide Public Education Project This project is based on a program begun in 2001 by the West Hollywood Tree Preservation Society and championed by its Executive Director Angee Beckett. During 2002 Angee expanded the WHTPS program by coordinating the creation and posting of billboards located within the territory served by Southern California Edison and sponsored by SCE. These billboards publicized Right Tree Right Place messages designed to educate the public about planting the right kinds of trees under or near power lines. The goal of both programs was to increase website visits so that people could get more complete and detailed information than is practical or possible from a billboard. Although the SCE website was not equipped at the time to track traffic to their site, the WHTPS website received thousands of increased inquiries sparked by the billboards. The goal of CaUFC’s Statewide Public Education Project is to post 445 billboards and 400 transit shelter ads throughout the state during a 12-month period. While so far we have made arrangements only with Viacom and ClearChannel, the two leading billboard and transit shelter media companies in California, we hope to include other outdoor advertisers over the course of the year. Our aim is to spread these ads out as widely as possible so that each of the areas represented by the 7 Regional Urban Forest Councils/CaUFC Chapters can use this as a springboard for work in their local area. The areas served by the Regional Urban Forest Councils / CaUFC Chapters are detailed on our web site. We have developed several distinct messages we are highlighting throughout the state. One of our the most important messages, Right Tree Right Place, dovetails primarily with the work of electric service providers. As a result, Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas & Electric’s SafeTree educational program already have agreed to sponsor billboards and transit shelter ads in their service areas, and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District are considering their level of participation. At this time, the only area in the state that will not have electric service provider support is southern Orange County and San Diego County. Some of the other messages we will be posting have to do with the value of trees in an urban environment, such as Think Green— Trees Clean the Air We Breathe, and energy conservation messages, such as Got Shade?—Don't Prune Trees in Hot Months to Save on Your Power Bill. Another exciting aspect of the program is that most of the sponsors involved are dovetailing their participation in the program with two bill stuffers, each spaced about 6-months apart. We plan to launch the program sometime late in April with major media conferences both in Southern California and in Northern California. We already are working on trying to have Clint Eastwood, Ed Begley, Jr., Marina Sirtis, several members of the World Champion Anaheim Angels, as well as others with whom we are speaking at these events. We still have sponsorship opportunities available throughout the state, including fantastic opportunities in major cities and counties, especially southern Orange County and San Diego. For additional information about sponsorship, please contact Chuck Cole at chuck@caufc.org. Certification
Update Currently,
hundreds of exam items written by dozens of leading urban forestry
professionals
throughout
the state
are going
through a three-fold review
process. Each question is scrutinized on
three
separate occasions by three separate
groups of urban forestry professionals
to be sure the questions are valid, to be sure
they are properly categorized according
to the list of domains and disciplines, to be
sure they
are germane
to the advanced-level
practice of urban forestry,
and to be sure they are clearly and concisely
written. Only after surviving this grueling
process will
they be added
to the pool
of available exam
questions.
We held an information-sharing session at the 2002 California Urban Forest Conference. We hoped to have from 30 to 50 urban forestry professionals attend to learn about the program and share their reactions and insights with us. The room was filled with more than 100 people, and many more crowded around the doors and lined the hallway outside. While we got some great insights that have been incorporated into the program, the general response to what we have planned so far was very positive. When we opened the floor to questions, one woman addressed the crowd rather than asking a question of the presenters. She asked, How many people are qualified to sit for the exam based on the seemingly high standards set by the prerequisites (detailed below)? Roughly 75 people raised their hands. Then she asked, How many of those who are qualified plan to become certified? It didn't appear that anyone lowered his or her hand. Although the CaUFC Board of Directors has not yet finalized all the parameters of the program, the prerequisites and fees proposed by the Certification Committee are as follows: In order to take the examination to become a Certified Urban Forester, an applicant MUST meet the qualifications detailed in EACH of the following bullet points:
The Certified Urban Forester Program was developed, implemented, and is maintained and administered by the California Urban Forests Council. Since the members of CaUFC contribute significantly toward the development and maintenance of CaUFC and its various programs, the fee structure for this program reflects the value of CaUFC membership. To qualify as a member of CaUFC for this program, an individual must have been a member of CaUFC for at least one full year prior to application. Fees may be adjusted periodically at the sole discretion CaUFC. Application Fee - a nonrefundable processing fee of $75 is required from each applicant who is a member of CaUFC and $100 from each nonmember at the time of application Examination
Fee - a nonrefundable examination
fee
of $150 will be required
from each applicant who
is a member of
CaUFC and $200 from each
nonmember who qualifies
to take the exam, at
the time they receive an
invitation to
take the exam Recertification Fee - within sixty (60) days after their third anniversary as a Certified Urban Forester, and every third year thereafter, a nonrefundable processing fee of $100 will be required from each Certified Urban Forester who is a member of CaUFC and $150 from each nonmember in order to validate their continuing education units and recertify them as Certified Urban Foresters. Fundraising
Update
CaUFC has been able to raise the entire $300,000 needed to develop and launch the Certified Urban Forester Program. We also have commitments for roughly half of the $400,000 budget for the Public Education Project, and the actual retail value of the space donated to urban forestry education by outdoor advertisers is somewhere around $5 million. We received nearly $34,000 in sponsorships for the 2002 California Urban Forest Conference, the first statewide annual conference jointly sponsored by CaUFC and California ReLeaf. But we are not finished yet, we currently have another roughly $250,000 we are working to raise over the next 18 months for various projects, including a second Statewide Urban Forestry Summit in 2004. CaUFC
Outreach
CaUFC
Web Site
To Be
In Spanish Regional
Urban
Forest Councils
Becoming
Chapters |