Scholarships are available to tree boards and nonprofit organizations to attend Georgia Urban Forest Council’s 18th Annual Conference and Awards Luncheon, "Clean Water, Clean Air – Community Trees and a Healthy Ecosystem," scheduled for October 29-31, 2008 at the Augusta Marriot Hotel & Suites. Click on the headline for more details and an application form.

This year's GUFC conference will be held October 29-31 (closing at noon on the 31st)at the Marriott Augusta Hotel & Suites, Two 10th Street, Augusta, 30901. The theme of the 18th Annual GUFC Conference and Awards Program is "Clean Water, Clean Air - Community Trees and a Healthy Ecosystem." Enjoy informative keynote addresses by Gary Moll, VP Urban Ecosystems Center, American Forests and Turner Simkins, Project Manager for North Augusta's Hammonds Ferry Development; outstanding educational sessions, and interesting tours, including a leisurely boatride down the historic Augusta Canal. Also scheduled: a bike ride, tree planting, and a look back at 20 years of the Georgia Urban Forest Council at the Wednesday night opening reception. Sponsorships available. We will offset the conference's carbon emissions with tree plantings, a seedling giveaway, and recycling.

GUFC is currently calling for nominations for its 2008 Georgia Urban Forestry Awards program. Annually, as part of its mission to sustain Georgia’s green legacy by helping communities grow healthy trees, GUFC enthusiastically rewards individuals, organizations, businesses, municipalities, and counties for outstanding work in protecting and enhancing our community forests. It is our goal that this awards program continues to give back to those who have been concerned about a healthy urban forest and also raises community awareness of the importance of these projects. Grand and Merit award recipients of this year’s Georgia Urban Forestry Awards will be recognized at GUFC’s 2008 Annual Conference Awards Luncheon on October 30 at the Augusta Marriott Hotel and Suites. For more details on nominating an individual or organization, click on the headline.

The "Survey of Community Tree Regulation in Georgia" was conducted by the Georgia Urban Forest Council to learn more about tree ordinances and tree-related regulations in Georgia. The project includes not only the survey but also the review of tree ordinances across the State. The "Georgia’s Tree Ordinances" report summarizes the results of the survey and tree ordinance review. The full report and appendices, with extensive survey and tree ordinance data and copies of all the tree ordinances reviewed are included on a "Georgia’s Tree Ordinances" CD. To order your copy of the CD, click on the headline.

In this issue: GUFC Earns Standards For Excellence Certification,Third Quarterly Program features "Developing Winning Solutions," GUFC's 18th Annual Conference in Augusta in October, The Woodbine Riverwalk,and much more. Click on headline to download your copy.

The Georgia Urban Forest Council, Inc. (GUFC) has been awarded the Standards for Excellence Institute’s Seal of Excellence for successfully completing the Standards for Excellence certification program. A peer review team examined GUFC for compliance with the Standards for Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector established by the Standards for Excellence Institute, a program of the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations. Read more by clicking on headline.

The Georgia Urban Forest Council, the Georgia Forestry Commission, and other partners have met in a series of strategic planning meetings over the summer to write a new Five Year Plan for Georgia's Urban and Community Forest, covering the upcoming years 2007-2011. This planning process focused on where we have been, what was accomplished in the past five years, and what new issues need to be addressed. To read the Five Year Plan,click on "About GUFC" at the top of the home page, and then click "Five Year Plan."

GUFC has published four editions of SHADE, a custom magazine that promotes the benefits of urban trees. The most recent issue, "Connect...and Collaborate," promotes strong alliances among urban tree organizations. Issue 3, "Weathering the Storms," shares with readers insights on weathering natural, political, growth, and financial storms of the urban forest. Issue 2, "Trees Make Dollars and Sense," highlights the economic benefits of trees in business districts, around homes and in developments. The 2005 edition, "Healthy Trees, Healthy Cities, Healthy People," features articles linking urban trees to public health benefits. Click on the headline to download a file of the 2008 edition.

GUFC is pleased to announce its new “Tree Legacy” Grant Program with funding from the Home Depot Foundation. The purpose of the new Tree Legacy Grant Program is to provide funding to Georgia communities for urban forestry projects involving tree planting to achieve environmental goals. In order to maximize the impact of the grant dollars and create model projects across the state, GUFC is targeting a different region of the state each year. The 2007-2008 Tree Legacy Grant Program will provide grant assistance to four communities and organizations in Southwest Georgia: City of Americus, Trees Columbus, City of Pelham, and City of Tifton. Click on the headline for more details.

GUFC members are a diverse group of people brought together by their common interest in healthy, thriving urban forests. The Council informs communities on urban forestry issues, provides educational programs (most of which offer CEUs), assists with networking and resource opportunities, and keeps members informed of new urban forestry research. Download the GUFC brochure and membership application in Adobe PDF format.