City Trees is a premier publication focused on urban + community forestry. In each issue, you’ll learn how to best manage the trees in your community and more!
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/540151
13-person team including five 2-person task specialist crews, 2 team leaders, and 1 GIS specialist. Smaller or more localized storm events could be responded to with an appropriate staff of personnel. On a deployment, Incident Command System (ICS) protocols would be used, as ICS is familiar to state forestry agency person- nel who respond to wildfires. The response teams were dubbed "Urban Forest Strike Teams" (UFSTs) and the name has stuck. The mission of the UFSTs, developed in the first training, is: • Assist communities in documenting tree dam- age for FEMA reimbursement • Provide a risk ranking on all trees examined • Identify especially hazardous trees that need immediate attention • Recommend pruning, etc., for trees identified for retention • Provide detailed maps and tables of recorded trees to local officials and FEMA It was not long after the first training that UFSTs were put to the test. A devastating ice storm struck north- eastern Oklahoma in December 2007. Oklahoma Urban Forestry Coordinator Mark Bays contacted several affected communities and offered assistance. UFSTs responded in February 2008 after the initial clean up and worked with several communities, notably the City of Tulsa, in documenting tree damage. Local FEMA officials were engaged and were pleased with the docu- mentation provided. A second training was held in Williamsburg, Virginia in August of 2008 that added personnel available for deployment. UFST members from several states then responded to the City of Baton Rouge, Louisiana after Hurricane Gustav struck in September. Working with Louisiana Forestry officials and City Forester Steve Shurtz, UFST crews were able to assess all the heavily impacted neighborhoods in the city. Later that fall, Texas Forest Service personnel trained that summer provided an in-state response to the City of Galveston, which had taken the brunt of Hurricane Ike, also in September. Team Specialists discuss tree loss (and near miss!) with homeowner after Hurricane Gustav. Because it impacted a public street, the tree was marked for FEMA removal and reimbursement. www.urban-forestry.com 21