City Trees

www.urban-forestry.com 15 Reach out to local officials and the public: Does your community have a tree board or commission and if so, are you making the most of their support? For community engagement, do you hold a community-wide Arbor Day cel- ebration and meet your residents? Do you visit the schools and offer programming? Have you done a talk on trees at your public library? Attended a "Coffee With the Mayor" ? Connect with municipal departments: Have you engaged other departments to share why trees are a com- munity asset? Have you asked them to assist you with presenting financials, preparing an i-Tree analysis, or sur- veying your community to learn what they need and their understanding of trees? Try inviting other staff to attend your trainings to promote cross-functional understanding and advocacy. Build relationships with local newspapers and radio: Have you built a relationship with local reporters? Are you available and helpful to reporters covering munic- ipal affairs? Have you contacted your local editor to sug- gest stories about tree care or the benefits of trees? Do you have sample releases ready to go for events? Do you send notices to your local paper in advance of tree work, Arbor Day celebrations, and other operations? Have you appeared on public affairs news programs on local cable T V or radio? Involve schools: Increase awareness of trees and their value among schoolchildren, who will take the message to their families. Lessons about trees can help meet school curriculum goals. Arbor Day poster or essay contests, tree plantings, and tree walks on school property are ways to engage students and their families. Use events with schools to meet Tree City USA requirements while engaging families. Science fair organizers are usually happy to have additional local exhibitors or judges. Get Some Help Developing your public communications will take time. Look around for help and recruit new resources. Here are some possibilities: Get an intern: The SMA Summer Intern Program provides funding for an intern for a set time period or to accomplish a specific project. Why not seek an intern or local student to work on improving public communications? Look to local community colleges or universities for students in need of class projects or experience for their resume. Students studying GIS, horticulture, and environmental science may be able to help you meet your goals. Many colleges have sustainability or green clubs that can also be a resource. Why not seek an intern or local student to work on improv- ing your program's public communications? Photo by Michelle Sutton Develop volunteers: Look to the community for exper- tise on items such as writing articles, updating websites, posting on social media, entering work orders, preparing presentations, monitoring trees, and writing grants. Every community has folks looking for ways to give back. There are many online resources to assist with this if your munic- ipality does not already support a volunteer program. Find new partners: As your public relations capability grows, engage new audiences such as local business and philanthropic groups, the Chamber of Commerce, green industry professionals, garden clubs, watershed and stew- ardship groups, and hobbyists such as woodworkers. Trees are part of every community's character, but the com- munity needs to know more about their care. The manage- ment of the urban forest is a compelling story and there are many ways to tell it. Finding the right way to communicate and connect with every audience and potential partner will help you gain support and funding; it starts with telling the story of your unique urban forestry program.

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