American Forests Forestbytes February 2009

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As the rest of us bundle up in layers, guzzle hot chocolate, and go skiing, millions of Monarch butterflies huddle together in their over-wintering grounds in rural Mexico. The forests of Michoacan protect these beautiful butterflies when they are at their most vulnerable. Yet the forests themselves often need protecting, from humans, pests, and a number of other threats. American Forests, along with several partners, has planted 350,000 trees in the butterflies’ habitat in Michoacan.

You can find an update on this planting project in the latest issue of American Forests magazine. You can also find a great amount of information in the recent PBS documentary “The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies,” and on the PBS website at .CLICK HERE.

Take Action for an EcoStimulus
It’s not too late to contact your Senators to urge their support of forest-friendly provisions of the federal economic stimulus package. Over the past month, both the House and Senate have considered how to stimulate our economy through a variety of measures. READ MORE

Plant a Tree for Free!
Whether you’ve always known about AMERICAN FORESTS or just found out about us yesterday, take this survey and tell us how we’re doing! It’s only a quick, 5-minute survey, and AMERICAN FORESTS will plant a tree for every person who takes it. Take Our Survey

	New: Planning the Urban Forest Communities that foster green infrastructure are more livable, produce fewer pollutants and are most cost-effective to operate according to a new guidebook released by the American Planning Association (APA). Planning the Urban Forest is the culmination of a three-year collaborative effort of APA, American Forests, International Society of Arboriculture and USDA Forest Service. The manual will help planners adopt a green infrastructure approach and incorporate trees into the planning process. For more information, visit the APA’s website

	Textbooks for Trees American Forests’ partnership with Chegg.com continues to plant thousands of trees across the country while lowering the demand for more trees to be sacrificed to the textbook industry. Chegg.com provides a service that allows students to rent, buy, or sell textbooks online. Textbooks are reused, which means less waste and significantly smaller textbook bills for all those penny-pinched students. Last year, Chegg.com took its efforts a step further by vowing to plant a tree with AMERICAN FORESTS for every textbook that a student buys, sells, or rents through their site. This unique partnership proves that books and trees can have a positive relationship! For more information, or to take advantage of Chegg’s unique services, visit Chegg.com

	First Legacy Forest in Texas In January, Texas completed its first Forest Legacy Project in collaboration with the Conservation Fund, the Texas Forest Service, and The Campbell Group,LLC. The project, the first of its kind in the state, will protect over 2,800 acres of forest near the Turkey Creek Unit of the Big Thicket National Preserve. The original Big Thicket spanned over 3 million acres, but over the years it has been reduced to a mere three percent of that acreage, and is perpetually in danger of losing more. The newly protected acreage will serve as a buffer zone to the Big Thicket, preventing further fragmentation and preserving its integrity as a stable forest ecosystem. READ MORE

Forest Policy - New Neighbors in Washington
January brings fresh faces to Washington in the areas of energy, the environment, and natural resources, from the Oval Office to the halls of Congress. New officials will not have long to shift into gear, however, with significant legislative action already underway on Capitol Hill. READ MORE

Global Warming Decimates North America Forests
Canada’s forests are no longer in shape to help fight global warming. In fact, in an alarming switch, they are actually starting to contribute to it. In the past, Canada’s forests have served as dependable purifiers, sequestering carbon and producing cleaner air. READ MORE

Mount St. Helens Forest Preserved

Not long ago, a 20,000-acre swath of forest surrounding Mount St. Helens was in danger of development. The timber company Pope Resources owns a 24,000-acre tree farm in the Mount St. Helens region, the largest private ownership in the county. READ MORE

Intern Appeal
If you or someone you know is looking for an internship for this spring, its not too late! AMERICAN FORESTS is currently seeking qualified applicants for a number of spring internship positions. For more information, visit our website at READ MORE

Tree or forest questions? Ask American Forests’ expert.
Email treedoc@amfor.org