| Contact Information | Date |
|---|---|
| For Immediate Release Contact: Barbara White 434.977.6555 |
Oct. 23, 2009 VDOF 09033 |
Urban Forests Take Center Stage
A one-day conference in Northern Virginia will enable participants to better understand how the benefits of the urban forest can be quantified, valued and used to influence public policy.
Presented by Trees Virginia and the NOVA Urban Forestry Roundtable, the conference - called “Community Forests Grow Community Benefits” - will be held Nov. 13, 2009 at Algonkian Regional Park in Sterling, Va. Early registration, which ends Nov. 9, 2009, is $60. Lunch is included.
“The conference will include several nationally known speakers and elected government leaders as well as panel discussions to fully cover this important subject,” said Barbara White, partnerships coordinator for the Virginia Department of Forestry. “Dr. Kathy Wolf of the University of Washington will deliver the keynote address - 'Multiple Values of the Urban Forest,' and Dr. Dave Nowak of the USDA Forest Service will focus on quantifying the science. We are also excited to hear from Sharon Bulova, chair of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, who will talk about ways to influence public policy.”
In addition to better understanding urban forestry's many benefits, conference participants will engage in a dialogue on the role cultural differences play in managing community forests.
More information and registration materials are available at Trees Virginia. Questions may be directed to Becky Woodson at 434.220.9024.
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The Virginia Department of Forestry protects and develops healthy, sustainable forest resources for Virginians. Headquartered in Charlottesville, the Agency has forestry staff members assigned to every county to provide service to citizens of the Commonwealth. VDOF is an equal opportunity provider.
With nearly 16 million acres of forest land and more than 144,000 Virginians employed in forestry, forest products and related industries, Virginia forests provide more than $27.5 Billion annually in benefits to the Commonwealth.
