Urban and Community Forestry Program

Tree City USA

The Forest Service is proud to support Tree City USA, which is greening communities across the country. Read More…

A black and white photo of Georgia O'Keeffe standing outside a ranch

Georgia O’Keefe Museum Grows a Healthier Community

Region 3 is partnering with New Mexico State Forestry and Tree New Mexico to challenge NM communities to “grow a healthier community”. Read More…

A photo of volunteers cleaning a river in Baltimore

Urban Waters Federal Partnership

This partnership helps reconnect urban communities, particularly those that are overburdened or economically distressed, with their waterways and promote their economic, environmental and social benefits. Read More…

A photo of someones legs riding a bicycle through a park

Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition

The Forest Service is proud to partner with SUFC, an assembly of national organizations working to advance a unified urban forest agenda for our nation's communities. Read More…

Urban and Community Forestry (UCF) is a cooperative program of the US Forest Service that focuses on the stewardship of urban natural resources. With 80 percent of the nation's population in urban areas, there are strong environmental, social, and economic cases to be made for the conservation of green spaces to guide growth and revitalize city centers and older suburbs. UCF responds to the needs of urban areas by maintaining, restoring, and improving urban forest ecosystems on more than 70 million acres. Through these efforts the program encourages and promotes the creation of healthier, more livable urban environments across the nation.

Learn more about how the program works…

Strategic Focus Areas

Priorities, tasks, resource allocation, partnerships, program direction, performance measures and accountability at all levels of the Program are guided by these focus areas.

Mitigate and adapt to climate change

Assist cities and communities to mitigate and adapt to climate change through increased use of trees to provide nature-based solutions, participation in environmental markets, establishment of strategic canopy goals and increased use of urban wood for energy production and value added products.

Protect and improve water and air quality

Protect and improve water and air quality by replacing impervious surfaces with tree canopy and establishing tree canopy goals that are supported by federal, state, and local requirements in air quality and storm water implementation plans.

Conserve energy

Support and promote the strategic preservation and planting of trees to reduce energy consumption, enhance tree canopy cover, and to utilize trees as a renewable energy source.

Reduce the impacts of land use change, fragmentation and urbanization on forest landscapes

Plan, manage, and restore working urban and community forests to reduce the impacts of land use change, fragmentation, and urbanization on landscapes by providing expertise and facilitation of green infrastructure planning, and development of model ordinances, policies, and best management practices.

Improve community health and well-being

Expand our knowledge and application of the social, economic, and environmental benefits of urban and community forests and their impacts on the health of people, community livability, sustainability and economic vitality.

Build urban forest resilience and mitigate the impacts of invasive pests and catastrophic events

Provide assistance to communities to mitigate the impacts of catastrophic events through the development and use of emergency response and hazard mitigation plans, forest risk management strategies and practices, and monitoring of invasive pests, diseases and plants.

Projects and Partners

A photo of a Minneapolis tree-lined neighborhood.

Photo Credit: Jill Johnson

The Forest Service is proud to act as partner and sponsor of work that helps connect people with nature and with each other. By restoring and sustaining the health of urban forests we not only preserve the unique sense of place found in our nation's cities and towns, but recognize our own place within these communities and the larger landscape.

See the slideshow above to learn more about some of our partnerships.

National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council

The National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council (NUCFAC) is an appointed advisory council to the Secretary of Agriculture on urban forestry and related issues. The 1990 Farm Bill created NUCFAC to bring together the wide variety of voices raised about a common concern: the present health and future preservation of America's urban forests. NUCFAC was founded to synthesize the full spectrum of views into a consistent vision, as a foundation for practical policy on urban forestry.

Learn more about NUCFAC…

Learn more about Urban Forest Plan

Technology and Science Delivery

The Forest Service’s National Urban Forest Technology & Science Delivery Team was formed in November 2013 to deliver quality urban natural resources science, technology, and information to improve the long-term sustainability of urban ecosystems. The team’s mission is to help inform environmental stewardship and sustainably sound decisions about urban and community lands and the broader watershed, for wildlife and people.

Learn more about the National Urban Forest Technology & Science Delivery Team…