Alien Forest Pest Explorer

Close-up photo of one Asian Long Horned Beetle on a light brown branch. The Asian Long Horned Beetle is black, light brey/ blue with white spots on its back and antennae.

Maintained by Purdue University, the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station and Forest Health branch.

State Invasive Species Contacts and Resources

Oak wilt

The USDA Forest Service maintains a catalogue or organizations working on invasive species in each state: local, statewide, regional and national. Also included are multi-organization partnerships and relevent resources for local planners. Photo by Massachusetts Department of Energy 2009 Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas […]

Annual Forest Insect and Disease Conditions Reports

Photo of a dead tree among healthy trees. The dead tree has grey bark and no leaves. The trees surrounding the dead tree appear healthy with green leaves.

The U.S. Forest Service has maintained this series of reports every year since 1955. Each annual report updates the current status of the most signficant forests pests and diseases. The report summarizes national statistics that break down conditions by ownerships. Review the latest Forest Insect and Disease Conditions Report Click here for a catalogue of […]

Principles that support urban forest health and resilience

California forest fire 2024

Know your urban forest resource. A forest inventory will determine the extent and condition of your urban forest. This becomes your baseline for planning and management. Understand your human capital. Organize a network of experts, practitioners and volunteer organizations who can help determine the changes occurring in your urban forest, how best to respond, and mobilize […]

Maintenance Software for Budgets Large and Small

Volunteer using handheld digital assistant to enter tree data during inventory.

Managing urban forests requires more than just boots on the ground—it takes smart tools to track, plan, and care for thousands of trees across city streets, parks, schools, and neighborhoods. Fortunately, a variety of sophisticated computerized systems now exist to support tree inventory, risk assessments, work orders, and long-term planning. commonly used urban forestry management […]

Plant or maintain or do both?

detroit tree planting map

Keeping trees alive and healthy may be the driving force for arboriculture. But policymakers should weigh in too. Urban forestry budgets are largely split between planting and maintenance. Given the short life span of urban trees, communities must consider how to invest their resources. It’s a complicated choice. Because tree planting initiatives don’t always deliver […]

Developer Perspectives on Incentives to Save Trees

Treed Neighborhood

Reducing urban tree canopy loss through incentives The chart below is drawn from an article by Elise Willis and others. You can find it here. Willis, E. M. et al, Greening development: Reducing urban tree canopy loss through incentives (2024) Urban Forestry and Urban Greening   Type of Incentive* Description What Developers Say Increased density […]

Charrettes: The key to inclusive planning

Community Meeting, Greensburg KS

The American Planning Association (APA) believe a well-conceived charrette can be transformative and well worth the investment of time by residents and project staff alike. They generally involve everyone with a stake in the neighborhood’s future such as community members, municipal officials, developers and businesses. When successful, they promote joint ownership of solutions and defuse […]

Key elements of an urban forest management plan

Street trees in Chicago

Orient yourself to urban forest management plans by reviewing this outline of topics and sample provisions. While there are many different templates for UFMPs, some of the most recent are listed below.