Spring 2024 Edition

Spring has arrived! Read on for Arbor Day festivities, Forest Health reports, and events happening between now and June. - AZDFFM Specialized Forestry Programs

Urban and Community Forestry

Celebrate Arbor Day!

Written by Alison Faller

Urban Forestry Specialist

Mark your calendars, Arbor Day is just around the corner! Every April, people across the world celebrate Arbor Day to recognize the importance of trees in our communities. Trees provide a multitude of environmental and socioeconomic benefits, and having a special day dedicated to planting and celebrating trees is more important than ever.

The Arbor Day Foundation motivates cities to maintain and grow their urban tree cover through their Tree City USA program. To become a Tree City, a municipality must meet a number of standards including an annual Arbor Day celebration. Other requirements include maintaining a tree board or department, having a community tree ordinance, and spending at least $2 per capita on urban forestry. The Foundation currently recognizes more than 3,500 cities around the United States. Did you know Arizona has 30 cities and towns that are a registered Tree City USA? This includes Phoenix, Scottsdale, Chandler, Tucson, Yuma, Flagstaff, and Lake Havasu City to name just a few! You can see if your city is a registered Tree City USA at this link.

Image: Artwork submitted to this year's K-12 Arbor Day Poster Contest, "A Special Tree to Me." Over 1800 posters were received from students all over the state; top posters will be displayed at the Arizona Capitol Museum for the month of April for visitors to appreciate!

In 2024, the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management will host our annual State Arbor Day celebration on Tuesday, April 16th - see below for information to participate. The official national Arbor Day always falls on the last Friday of April (April 26th, 2024). Wherever you live, you should be able to find an Arbor Day event near you! To look for opportunities to get involved, check out your local municipality’s event calendar. Additionally, you can find volunteer opportunities at tree plantings through Arizona Sustainability Alliance, or with Trees Matter in the Phoenix area.

Celebrate trees and community with DFFM!

Each year, DFFM and community partners celebrate Arbor Day with an awards ceremony to recognize the individuals, businesses, non-profits, municipalities and communities that work to protect, grow, and enhance our tree canopy and urban forests around the state. Learn more about the work that is happening in Arizona by tuning in to this hybrid event!

Arizona Arbor Day: April 16th, 2024 10am - 11:10 am - Click here to join

Please reach out to ucf@dffm.az.gov with any questions regarding this event.

More Urban and Community Forestry Happenings

Arbor Day Foundation applications are in final review!

Image: Mesa Community College

Thank you to all of the Tree City USA, Tree Campus Higher Education, and Tree Line USA communities who applied for recognition for 2023! All applications are currently being approved at the national level with an expected confirmation of recognition in time for Arbor Month (April). You can download and check the status of your application by logging into the online portal - you will also receive an email from the Arbor Day Foundation once approved!

Visit arborday.org to learn more about their programs.

Opportunity: Phoenix Tree

and Shade Plan Questionnaire

The City of Phoenix is developing a new Tree and Shade Plan! This will set program and policy direction that will impact health, quality of life, and economic vitality in Phoenix for many years into the future.

The City wants to hear your thoughts about their tree and shade initiatives so they can develop a new plan that best reflects the needs and values of the community.

Phoenix residents: please take an anonymous questionnaire to share your perspective! The questionnaire is about 15 minutes and is available in English and Spanish.

New Resources:

Tree Reference Guide for Maricopa County

Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, the City of Phoenix, and a team of stakeholders have collaborated to build this Tree Reference Guide for Maricopa County. The guide is available as a downloadable excel file, where users can sort the information to suit their needs. Information such as species water use, growth rate, canopy size, utility-friendly, availability, and vulnerabilities are all included, making this list a helpful resource in decisions in tree planting projects.

Find the Tree Reference Guide here

Spanish Resource: Urban Forest Health Handbook and Visual Guide

A resource from Vibrant Cities Lab with photos from the field. This work is an educational and visual guide about the most prevalent symptoms and conditions observed in target areas of Puerto Rico. It offers helpful vocabulary and photos for common tree health issues applicable to our Arizona urban areas for Spanish speakers in our communities and tree care industry.

Guía de salud forestal urbana: Guía visual

In the News

Phoenix leaders approve up to $14 million for trees and shade - Fronteras

The Million-Dollar Business of Wood Waste in the US - The Hustle (Video)

Forest Health

Invasive Plants

Winter Weed Woes!

Written by Jessi Szopinski

Invasive Plant Program Specialist

This time of year, an abundance of annual plants spring up across yards, street medians, and parking lot islands. By definition, any plant that is considered undesirable or unwanted is a weed, but some winter weeds are not like the others; they are invasive and threaten natural areas such as local mountain parks and preserves. Invasive plants are nonnative species that were introduced to Arizona- either on purpose or by accident- and are causing harm to our state by outcompeting native flora, decreasing biodiversity, and increasing fire frequency and intensity.

Image: Stinknet infestation at a burn scar in Phoenix near the North Sonoran Preserve.

Some of the most common invasive species you will see this time of year include stinknet and red brome (two of the latest additions to the Arizona Noxious Weed List), Sahara mustard, London rocket, and cheatgrass. Invasive plants are prolific seed producers. For example, a single stinknet seed head contains hundreds of tiny seeds that easily disperse via wind, water, and by animals. If you spot invasive annuals in your yard, be sure to dig them up and bag them before they flower to ensure they do not go to seed. You can also help protect your favorite natural place by cleaning your hiking boots or running shoes before you hit the trails to prevent spreading noxious weeds. You never know when a seed might be hitching a ride with you!

Image: Stinknet growing next to native Arizona lupine in the middle of a trail in the North Sonoran Preserve.

To learn more about identifying and treating invasive plants and recreating responsibly, please visit:

Play Clean Go

Southwest Vegetation Management Association

University of Arizona Cooperative Extension - Stinknet Invasion

Arizona Department of Agriculture Noxious Weeds List

Insect & Disease

2023 Forest Health Aerial Detection Survey Data

Written by Mitchell Lannan

Forest Health Specialist

Although Arizona is renowned for its desert landscapes, there are still many forests in the state that range significantly in elevation and dominant tree species. Forests cover approximately 27% of Arizona, at over 19 million acres of land. Each year, the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management assists the USDA Forest Service with Aerial Detection Surveys (ADS), which record information on the insects and diseases, along with other abiotic factors, having significant impacts on Arizona’s forests.

Image: Prescott Needle Scale (a sap-feeding insect) damage to ponderosa pines in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, seen from Aerial Detection Surveys.

In 2023, over 14 million acres of forest were surveyed in Arizona. Over 76,300 acres with tree death and decline were recorded throughout the state, with the majority of damage being from sap-feeding insects, bark beetles, and defoliating insects. Compared to previous years, the extent of damage was significantly lower, likely due in part to improved drought conditions.

Bark beetles are a common pest to conifers in Arizona, typically preferring weakened or stressed trees. Drought conditions, which are all too common in the state, help weaken and stress trees, making them more susceptible to bark beetle attacks. Drought conditions improved in 2023, recording 5,300 acres with drought damage, and subsequently 17,100 acres with bark beetle caused tree mortality. Comparing this to 2022, both damage types were significantly higher, recording 195,900 acres with drought damage and 402,600 acres with bark beetle caused tree mortality.

The data collected from this survey is summarized in the DFFM's annual Forest Health

Conditions Report. For more information on the health of our forests, please reach out to foresthealth@dffm.az.gov.

View the full 2023 Arizona Forest Health Conditions Report here

Did you know?

Webinars, Training and Events

Professional Classes and Conferences:

National Conference on Ecosystem Restoration - April 14 - 19 - Albuquerque, NM

National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) National Meeting - April 16-18 - Virtual

Southwest Agroforestry Action Network (SWAAN) Annual Conference - April 24-26 - Tucson, AZ

Western Chapter ISA 90th Annual Conference and Trade Show - April 29 - May 2 - San Diego, CA

33rd Annual Desert Horticulture Conference - May 10 - Tucson, AZ

Pest Management for Trees Workshop - May 31 - Marana, AZ

Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Annual Conference - June 4 - 7 - Atlanta, Georgia

Conservation Easements: Legal Principles, Valuation, and Applications - Self-paced, free, online course

Webinars:

i-Tree Academy - March 20 - May 1 with recordings available

SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard - April 4

Wildfire Effects and Recovery in Urban Ecosystems - April 10

Using Evidence to Prove Tree-Related Infractions - April 18

Using Drones as a Vegetative Management Tool - May 2

Bipartisan Infrastructure in the Capital - Trees and Utilities - May 14

Grant Opportunities:

Urban Agriculture & Innovative Production funding opportunity - Application Deadline: April 9

Arizona Growing Water Smart Technical Assistance - Application Deadline: May 1

Environmental Protection Agency Community Change Grants - Application Deadline: November 21

Community Events:

There are simply too many to include this time of year - it's Earth Day and Arbor Day season! Contact your local non-profits and municipalities to see what events are happening near you.

Thanks for reading!

The State of Arizona Urban and Community Forestry Program is made possible with assistance from the USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program.

In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this

institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)

Suggestions or comments? We want to hear from you! Contact Megan Lasley, Forestry Outreach Coordinator at mlasley@dffm.az.gov