Urban and community forestry
What are urban and community forests?
Trees growing in cities and towns, collectively, encompass “urban and community forests.” Urban and community trees are essential components of community infrastructure that provide a multitude of benefits to improve the local environment, economy and human health and well-being.
Management of healthy, sustainable, community forests involves careful planning, protection, selection, and proper planting and maintenance. Healthy urban forests maximize community benefits and improve quality of life in communities.
Urban forest cover in the United States is consistently declining at devastating rate of about 175,000 acres per year (36 million trees), as impervious surfaces, such as buildings, roads, sidewalks, parking lots and driveways, dramatically increase with the progression of urbanization.
To improve the health and sustainability of urban and community forests, communities must recognize the tremendous importance of urban trees and green infrastructure and improve the management of these assets through effective planning and more proactive approaches that focus on tree preservation during development, higher standards of care in maintenance and more aggressive canopy replacement planning to balance tree loss attributed to clearing for development, aging and insect and disease attack.
What we do
We provide technical and/or educational assistance regarding community forest inventories and management plans, community and county tree ordinances, grant project implementation, how to become a Tree City USA, proper tree selection, installation and care, educational information, training workshops and promotion of South Carolina’s Arbor Day, which is always the first Friday in December. The program’s goal is to help foster, support and enhance long-term, sustainable, urban and community forestry programs within communities. We provide technical, educational and financial assistance, primarily to cities, towns, non-profit organizations, and county governments.
Tree selection, planting and care
The SCFC Urban Forestry team offers a wealth of knowledge on tree selection, planting and care; tips for selecting a tree care professional (arborist); and ways to protect and preserve trees on construction sites. Please visit our Urban Tree Care page for more on each of these topics.
Benefits of urban trees
Did you know that trees in the urban landscape improve our quality of life in countless ways? In addition to adding sheer aesthetic beauty to the ‘concrete jungle,’ trees can improve our personal health, reduce air and noise pollution, save energy, conserve water, reduce soil erosion and create wildlife and plant diversity, among many others.
Read more about these myriad benefits that trees provide in our urban environments, in which more than 80 percent of the American population now lives.
Trees and People Need Each Other
Healthy Trees Healthy Lives for Kids (YouTube video)
Healthy Trees Healthy Lives for Adults (YouTube video)
Community recognition programs that SCFC administers
The Arbor Day Foundation operates several national recognition programs that are administered at the state level. In South Carolina, the Urban & Community Forestry program oversees the application and award process by providing information and assistance to applicants, reviewing and approving applications, submitting successful applications to ADF for final review, and distributing award materials from ADF.
Urban forestry resources for landowners and educators
- Tree Care Guide – Installation, watering, mulching, fertilizing and pruning
- Selecting a Tree Care Professional Tree work should only be done by those trained and equipped to work safely in trees.
- Storm Recovery (opens in a new window)
- SC Firesmart Plants – List of landscaping plants that are less flammable.
- Tree Protection Before, During and After Construction A few careful and well planned steps may make the difference between a post-construction disappointment and a proud and satisfied new owner.
- Urban Tree Species Guide for South Carolina Choosing the right tree for the right place.
Resources for communities
- Grants
- Webinar Series for Planning Commissioners (YouTube)
- Storm Mitigation Planning for South Carolina Communities
- Template Draft – word
- Worksheet -word
- South Carolina Forestry Commission Scholarship Program Information
Resources for Tree Ordinances
- Sample Tree Ordinance No. 1 (word)
- Sample Tree Ordinance No. 2 (word)
Resource for Requests for Bids
Sample requests for bids (Tree Inventory, Canopy Mapping or Management Plan) (word)
Sample request for proposal: Tree Risk Assessment (word)
Examples of Urban Forestry Management Plans
Charlotte, NC (link)
Decatur, GA (link)
‘Green Infrastructure’ projects and resources
- SC Green Infrastructure Plan 2023
- (Urban) Planner’s Toolkit: A Guide for South Carolina’s Towns, Cities and Counties
- South Carolina’s Green Infrastructure Guide
- Forests and the Comprehensive Plan: A Planner’s Guide
- Trees to Offset Stormwater: Charleston, SC
- Trees to Offset Stormwater Summary: A Study of 12 Communities
- Protecting and Restoring Urban Tree Canopy for Stormwater Management in Southern Cities
- Forest Connectivity in the Developing Landscape: A Design Guide for Conservation Developments
- Stormwater Calculator Blank Spreadsheet (excel)
- Technical Instructions for TSW Spreadsheet (pdf)
- TSW Codes and Ordinances (excel)
- Tree Planting Campaign Guide (pdf)
- Resilient Coastal Forests of South Carolina (pdf)
Community Forestry Events
Past Webinars
Summer 2023 Air Quality Webinar
The South Carolina Forestry Commission U&CF Program presented the 2023 Summer webinar on the topic of air quality and urban forestry. Renee Madden and Amy Curran from the South Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) explain the basic air quality measures and the impacts that various air quality metrics have on community life and community health. They also talk about what SCDHEC does to educate the public about air quality and ensure air quality for the public. Finally, Chris Lepetiuk talks about what individuals and board/commission members can do to protect themselves and their community from the negative impacts of air pollutants by utilizing urban forestry and other techniques.
This session is important for all board/commission members, community members, and municipal staff. It contains strategies that community leaders can implement right away and that have a quantifiable impact on human and environmental health.
2022 Webinar Series for Planning Commissioners
Session One – Urban Forestry and Environmental Justice: Ensuring Common Benefits for All
The SCFC U&CF Program and PlanGreen partner to present deep dives into urban forestry topics. In this session, we explore environmental justice through an urban forestry lens, examining how planners, planning commissioners, urban foresters, and arborists can expand the benefits of the urban forest to all within a community.
Session Two – Urban & Community Forestry: Food Forests and Food Security
The second session features a deep dive into food security and how urban and community food forests can address food insecurity in communities. We will look at urban food forests – what they are, how/where to develop them, and the benefits and challenges associated with them.
Session Three – Invasive Species in Urban Forests
The third session featured guest speaker, Dr. David Coyle, who addressed environmental literacy by speaking about invasive species and their impacts on our urban forests. He outlined the relationships between native SC insects and both native and invasive plants, the benefits of native tree species on urban forest ecology, and the ways to reduce the spread of invasive plant species.
Root, Butt and Stem Rot of Pines in Urban Settings
Jimmy Walters discusses root and heart rots of pines. He begins by explaining the value of pine trees in mitigating storm water. Walters then goes over the basics of root function, symptoms of root loss, and common root and heart rots of pines. He ends the discussion by talking about assessing the risk from root and heart rot. Methods of prevention, control and mitigation are explained.
Other Educational Opportunities
The links below are just a few of the websites that offer workshops/conferences and webinars that award ISA-certified arborist continuing education credits. The links provided may not include current opportunities, but should be checked periodically for new events. Applicants are encouraged to visit other websites and familiarize themselves with the guidance sheet to determine if an event qualifies for a scholarship.
- TreesSC
- International Society of Arboriculture
- Southern Chapter ISA
- Arbor Day Foundation PCF Conference
- NC Urban Forestry Council
- Georgia Urban Forestry Council
- Georgia Arborist Association
- Municipal Forestry Institute (MFI)
Contact us
Frances Waite, statewide Urban Forestry Coordinator
(Statewide responsibilities. Also provides direct assistance to Richland and Lexington Counties)
fwaite@scfc.gov | (843) 209-7536
Cara Specht, Coastal Region Urban Forester
(serving Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Hampton, Jasper and Orangeburg counties)
cspecht@scfc.gov | (839) 201-2722
Dena Whitesides, Piedmont Region Urban Forester
(serving Abbeville, Anderson, Cherokee, Chester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Pickens, Saluda, Spartanburg, Union, and York Counties)
dwhitesides@scfc.gov | (803) 391-0330
Ann Huyler, Pee Dee Region Urban Forestry Specialist
(serving Chesterfield, Clarendon, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Georgetown, Horry, Kershaw, Lancaster, Lee, Marion, Marlboro, Sumter, and Williamsburg Counties)
ahuyler@scfc.gov | (864) 910-0139