Northestern Area Storm Response

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A collaborative effort of the Massachusetts Tree Wardens' & Foresters' Association and the Northeastern Area, USDA Forest Service. Contact: John Parry, USDA Forest Service
Urban Forest Strike Team Training Evaluating Storm Damage to Trees in Urban Areas September 15 – 16 2009 Leominster, MA Sponsored by: U.S. Forest Service, Northeast Area State & Private Forestry and The Massachusetts Tree Wardens and Foresters Association Introduction: Storms and other natural disasters in the Northeast cause significant damage every year to communities and their urban forests.  In many cases communities lack the staff to evaluate tree damage in a timely way. To assist with this need, the U.S. Forest Service, Southern Center for Urban Forestry Research & Information (SCUFR&I) along with some Southern State Forestry Agencies, has developed a process, the Urban Forest Strike Team method.  Qualified urban foresters and arborists who are trained in this method, become Strike Team members and are eligible to volunteer in communities in-state and regionally, to provide assistance following disasters that affect urban forests. The focus is to evaluate public trees for removal or pruning needs to eliminate risk to the public and to reduce the loss of additional trees during the response phase of the disaster. A pilot project is being conducted to introduce this technique in the Northeast. The U.S. Forest Service, Northeast Area State and Private Forestry and The Massachusetts Tree Wardens and Foresters Association will be sponsoring  a workshop in September for those who are interested in being trained on this process. The training will involve two days of classroom lecture, GPS/computer familiarization, training resources and will include significant time for field exercises in a nearby urban forest area. Qualified participants who complete the training may become eligible to volunteer on future Strike Team projects. Who Should Attend?: Urban Foresters, Arborists, Tree Wardens, Foresters and others in related professions in the Northeast Area who meet the following guidelines are invited to register: Must be a Certified Arborist with the International Society of Arboriculture or have other similar certification Must have basic knowledge or experience with risk tree assessment Should have an interest in participating locally, in-state or regionally in storm response Must be willing to complete several basic NIMS/ICS on-line courses, including:              IS-100 Introduction to Incident Command System              IS-200 Basic Incident Command System for Single Resources              IS-700 NIMS An Introduction Location:        Doyle Conservation Center, Leominster, MA Time and Date:        Tuesday, Sept. 15, 8:30 – 5:00         Wednesday, Sept. 16, 8:00 – 3:30 Cost: $50 Registration:         Submit Registration form by August 31         Registration is limited to 28 people For More Information or Registration Contact: Karen Doherty Executive Director, Mass. Tree Wardens' and Foresters' Association P.O. Box 326, South Hadley, MA 01075-0326 781-894-4759 mtwfa@comcast.net John E. Parry USDA Forest Service, State and Private Forestry, Durham, NH 603-868-7688 jparry@fs.fed.us

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