PROMOTING THE PRESERVATION AND CREATION OF URBAN FORESTS
WHEREAS, The U. S. Conference of Mayors is working with the United States Department of
Agriculture Forest Service and American Forests to promote the need for an urban forestry
program that will promote the preservation and creation of urban forest areas; and
WHEREAS, according to American Forests, since the early 1970's, major metropolitan areas
have lost one-third or more "heavy tree cover"; and
WHEREAS, recognizing that better management practices will increase the overall health and
robustness of urban forests through comprehensive planning and joint implementation efforts; and
WHEREAS, The U. S. Conference of Mayors recognizes that preserving existing urban forests
as well as increasing "tree cover" to create robust urban forests representing the environmental
health quality of cities; and
WHEREAS, urban forests are essential to improving the range of ecological services that include
providing natural habitat for floral and fauna, controlling sedimentation and water runoff from
nonpoint sources, mitigating carbon sequestration to improve air quality and conserving energy by
reducing the urban heat index; and
WHEREAS, urban forests have also demonstrated the ability increase the genetic diversity of
wildlife and pollination of important crops for agricultural production through the protection and
creation of green corridors; and
WHEREAS, urban forests also hold the potential to remediate environmentally contaminated
properties, called brownfields, through phytoremediation technology returning those sites to
productive reuse; and
WHEREAS, urban forests provide green infrastructure for cities linking communities to
recreational areas and greenspaces, improving the quality of life for residents and allowing
residents to take an active role in planting, protecting and restoring forest areas,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that The U. S. Conference of Mayors encourages
it's members to work more closely with the U. S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service
through partnerships to craft comprehensive planning approaches in reversing urban forest tree
decline by maintaining existing tree stocks and planting new trees in "low cover areas"; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The U. S. Conference of Mayors strongly encourages
Federal and State governments to work in cooperation with local Mayors to promote local
community action in sustaining urban forests and creating a network of arborists to oversee
programs and projects aimed at not only marketing but creating actual models for other areas
throughout the country to adopt, thereby preventing urban forest farm decline and ensuring future
sustainability; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Conference calls upon the Administration and
Congress to include funding for urban and community forestry programs that encourage
community cost share grants, urban forest research and assistance for underserved communities
that may be challenged with stewardship issues.
©2003 U.S. Conference of Mayors 
