America in Bloom recently became a member of the Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition (SUFC), a Washington, DC-based organization that assembles national organizations working to advance a unified urban forest agenda for communities across the country. Although the functions and benefits of urban forests are becoming increasingly clear, there is a lack of understanding about the full range of urban forests within a community's infrastructure. Coalition members work together to educate and advocate for better maintained and expanded urban forests nationwide with a unified national voice.

AIB board member Michael V. Geary, CAE, attended last month's SUFC annual meeting and advocacy day during which he and other SUFC members spent time lobbying members of Congress on various proposals that will invest in parks and urban forests.

The Tree Benefit Calculator allows anyone to make a simple estimation of the benefits individual street-side trees provide. This tool is based on i-Tree's street tree assessment tool called STREETS. With inputs of location, species, and tree size, users will get an understanding of the environmental and economic value trees provide on an annual basis.

Click here for more information and to calculate the benefit of the trees on your property.