USDA TO HELP BRING MORE TREES TO URBAN AREAS
                                             Release No.0354.99
                                                               
                                                                             Media Contact: Andrew Kauders (202)720-4623
                                         andrew.kauders@usda.gov
                    Public Contact: Keven Kennedy (202) 720-7173
                                          keven.kennedy@usda.gov
                                                               
USDA TO HELP BRING MORE TREES TO URBAN AREAS
                                                               
     SEATTLE, Sept. 1, 1999   Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman today urged a national effort
to plant more trees in urban areas.  As a first step, he announced that USDA will contribute 100
historic trees to each state's capital city, the District of Columbia, and each American Territory to
help create Millennium Groves.  Glickman said USDA will work with state officials "to design a
grove and choose trees that reflect the unique character of the state."

     "The need to plant more trees in urban areas goes far beyond the aesthetic and the
ornamental, although neither of those should be overlooked," said Glickman.  "Urban trees
provide important environmental and economic benefits.  They help clean our water and our air. 
And they can help draw tourists and boost real estate values in American cities."

     In a speech to the National Urban Forest Conference, Glickman said he is asking each
Governor to establish a Millennium Grove and work with USDA on efforts to expand urban
green space.  Glickman also announced that he is asking Congressional leaders to permanently
authorize the Urban and Community Forestry Program through the Land and Water Conservation
Fund, no longer leaving the program at the mercy of the whims of the appropriations process. 
Last year, this program provided technical assistance and community-based grants to over 10,000
communities to promote urban greenery.  

     Trees act as buffers that keep pollutants out of our water supply.  They also serve as
carbon sinks, capturing greenhouse gases and emitting clean oxygen.  While asphalt and
buildings trap heat, trees are natural coolants.  Cooler air means lower energy bills.  

     The de-greening of America has been something of a "stealth phenomenon,"
said Glickman.  Around Puget Sound, more than half the land has less than 20 percent
tree-canopy coverage, compared to only a quarter of the land in the early 1960s.  Metropolitan
Atlanta has lost over 60 percent of its tree-cover over the last 25 years.  

     Working together, USDA and other Federal agencies are helping local officials and
citizens in 13 cities solve urban environmental problems, part of the Urban Resources
Partnership.  In Seattle, for example, local government is working with residents, community
groups, non-profits, youth conservation corps, and local businesses to re-green the banks of the
Duwamish River and protect endangered salmon populations.  
                                                               
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