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U&CF Financial Assistance Practices, and Activities and Project Planning

Detailed below, under each category, are eligible U&CF practices, activities, and prerequisites. The organizational design and definitions are as follows:

Prerequisites – If a practice or activity has prerequisites, it will be listed. Prerequisites listed on the Financial Assistance webpage apply to all practices and activities.

Prerequisite practice or activity – The listed practice or activity needs to be completed before completion of the practice or activity being considered for completion.
Prerequisite management classification – Municipality or organization must have achieved an NCFS Management Classification or Arbor Day Foundation recognition, i.e., Tree City USA, etc.

Practice and Activity Organizational Structure

Category – Goal/primary objective of project; Urban Forestry Practices, Community Forestry Activities, Administration and Staffing, or Special Projects

Subcategory – Additional project goal categorization.

Practice or Activity – Objective(s) of project and practice/activity noted in your schedule and itemized in your budget.

To successfully complete a project and to apply for assistance, you will need to complete a project planning process. You should complete this process at least six months before a Request for Applications offering as incomplete applications will be disqualified. The planning process will result in the following seven outcomes, which you will be required to submit in your application.

Need Statement – The needs/challenges the project will address and how they were identified.
Project Goal – The primary goal of the project. The category and subcategory.
Project objectives, practice(s) and or activity(s) to be completed.
Project Duration – 6, 9, or 12 months.
Project Team.
Brief scope of work narrative.
Schedule – Schedule objectives, how and whom will complete them.
Budget – Itemized cost of each objective and practice/activity.

Complete a project planning process by using the practices and activity information below and by following the planning tool documents and examples provided on the Resources and Specifications page. Remember, it is much simpler to complete one or several practices or activities in a shorter duration than many over a longer duration.

NCFS U&CF Financial Assistance Project Planner
NCFS Financial Assistance Schedule and Description
NCFS Cost Share Worksheet, NCFS Match Share Worksheet or No Match Share Budget Worksheet

Administrative Support and Staffing

Community Forestry Activities

Community Forestry Plans

A plan that guides the development and implementation of community-wide or specific community forestry activities. Examples include the following:

Community Forestry Plan – A plan that details how the community is engaged in the management and implementation of urban forestry practices.
Food Forest – A documented plan to develop and maintain a food forest.
Urban and Community Forestry Demonstration Site – A documented plan to develop and maintain a demonstration site.

Education and Outreach Events

Education and outreach projects to inform and engage the public in U&CF and to build advocacy.
Conduct local seminars, training sessions and workshops for the public or target audiences. Conduct U&CF outreach events such as an Arbor Day celebration or the engagement in or celebration of a U&CF accomplishment. Funds may cover speaker fees, a ceremonial tree(s), facility rental and equipment rental.

Media Products & Campaigns

Development and production of new educational materials, education and outreach event materials or media campaigns.

Stakeholder Survey

Surveys of stakeholders to solicit comment and or identify issues and needs for strategic planning and implementation.

Volunteer Stewardship Program

Development of a long term, sustainable community volunteer U&CF stewardship program. Training and outfitting to perform basic tree care maintenance practices such as tree planting, young tree maintenance or inventorying sites to plant trees.

Advocacy Group Development

Development of a local U&CF advocacy organization.

Strategic plans to guide the work and development of the organization.
Professional facilitation for organizational development.
Accounting or management software.
Accounting or management consulting.

Workforce Development

Development and implementation of an urban and community forestry job training program.

Professional Staff Certification and Credentialing

Funding for training and exam fees, lodging and per diem for the following professional certifications and credentials.

Not-for-profit credentialing
International Society of Arboriculture

Certified Arborist Municipal Specialist
Tree Risk Assessment Qualification

The N.C. Forest Service has a contract in place for this service, and there are several offerings throughout the year based on training event schedules.

Workforce Development

Development and implementation of an urban and community forestry job training program.

Urban Forestry Practices

Inventories & Assessments

Tree Canopy Cover Assessment

A tree canopy cover assessment uses aerial photographs and other types of remote sensing data to quantify the area of a community covered by tree canopy, vegetation, hardscape and other land cover features for planning purposes. The assessment also quantifies the ecosystem services provided by the tree canopy.

The N.C. Forest Service has a contract in place to complete tree canopy cover assessments for communities. For more information, see the Sample Tree Inventories and Canopy Cover Assessments Program fact sheet on the U&CF Resources and Specifications page under the Financial Assistance heading.

Urban Heat Island Assessment

An urban heat island (UHI) is an urban area that is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas due to human activities. Assessments and analysis using remote sensing data and on-the-ground surveys will identify UHI areas from which mitigation strategies such as tree planting can be developed.

Prerequisites – Tree CityUSA, Tree Campus Higher Education and sample tree inventory or canopy cover assessment, Tree Campus K-12 or Health Care.

Program Assessment – An assessment of a municipality’s U&CF program including policies and procedures, staffing, and budgets.
Sample Tree Inventory

A statistically valid sample inventory of trees in a community or defined area in the community. The resulting data will provide estimates of numbers of trees, tree species, condition, age and management needs for planning purposes.

The N.C. Forest Service has a contract in place to complete sample tree inventories for communities. Contact your NCFS county ranger or U&CF for more information and the cost to complete your sample tree inventory. For more information, see the Sample Tree Inventories and Canopy Cover Assessments Program fact sheet on the U&CF Resources and Specifications page under the Financial Assistance heading.

Partial Tree Inventory

A partial tree inventory records trees or sites that meet a specific management objective. Management and location information are also collected so crews can return to the site/tree to perform work. Trees that do not meet these management criteria are not inventoried.

Forest Health Inventory – An inventory of trees that pose a forest health risk due to a species-specific insect pest or disease.
Invasive Plant Inventory – An inventory of invasive plant species of trees that pose a forest health risk.

Prerequisites – Tree City USA, Tree Campus Higher Education, Tree Campus K-12

Risk Tree Inventory – An inventory of defective trees that require pruning or removal due to the risk they pose to public safety.
Storm Damage Tree Inventory – An inventory of storm-damaged trees after a tree-damaging storm event.
Tree Planting Site Inventory – Inventory mapping of sites to plant trees.

Complete Tree Inventory

An inventory of all the trees located within a defined geographic location.

Project Area Inventory– Inventory of all trees on a project area.

Prerequisites – Tree City USA, Tree Campus Higher Ed

Complete tree inventories for all public trees in a community. Tree inventory management software is required.

Prerequisite – Managing Community

Inventory & Assessment Tools

Software, computers, and other tree inventory and assessment tools.

Plan Development

Urban Forestry Practice Plans

A documented plan that establishes policies, goals, objectives and a budget that addresses a single urban forestry practice in the management of the community's urban forest. The primary audience is the staff and leadership of the organization.

Storm Readiness, Response and Recovery Plan - A documented plan to prepare, respond to and recover from tree damaging storm events.
Tree Nursery – A documented plan to develop a tree nursery.

Prerequisites – Tree City USA, Tree Campus Higher Education

Urban Wood Utilization Plan – A plan to develop and implement an urban wood utilization program.

Prerequisites – Tree City USA or Tree Campus Higher Education

Prerequisite for the following – A canopy cover assessment or inventory of trees/sites relative to the respective practice that was completed within the last two years.

Canopy Cover Plan – A comprehensive plan that sets canopy cover goals and strategies to conserve and increase canopy cover.
Insect Pest/Disease Mitigation Plan – A plan to mitigate the threat posed by insects/diseases to public trees and urban forest health.
Invasive Plant Mitigation Plan – A plan to mitigate the threat posed by invasive plants to public trees and urban forest health.

Prerequisite – Tree City USA, Tree Campus Higher Education, Tree Campus K-12

Tree Maintenance Plan - A plan to guide tree pruning and tree removal efforts including specifications.
Tree Planting and Post-care Plan – A plan that details tree species selection for planting matching species selection with planting site conditions, standards and specifications for tree procurement, planting, funding and implementation strategies.
Storm Damage Recovery Plan – A plan to guide tree pruning, tree removal and tree planting efforts after a tree damaging storm event.
Tree Risk Mitigation Plan – An implementable plan to identify, prioritize, monitor and mitigate tree risk.

Urban Forest Management Plan

A comprehensive plan that establishes policies, goals, objectives and a budget for the operational management of the community's urban forest. The primary audience is the staff and leadership of the organization.

Prerequisites – Tree City USA municipality or Tree Campus Higher Education college/university that have a sample or complete tree inventory that was completed within the last two years.

Comprehensive/Master Urban and Community Forestry Plan

A comprehensive plan that establishes policies, goals and objectives for all U&CF activities for the management of the community's urban forest. The audience is the public, staff and leadership of the community.

Prerequisite – Managing Community

Ordinances and Policy Development

Public Tree Ordinance

An ordinance that establishes municipal authority over the management of public trees and sets management policy and standards. All Tree City USA communities or communities working toward Tree City USA status must have a public tree ordinance.

Conservation Development Ordinance

An ordinance that directs tree and other natural resource conservation during development.

Prerequisites – Tree City USA and professional urban forestry staff or consultant

Landscaping Ordinance

An ordinance that specifies landscaping requirements for existing properties or properties under development.

Prerequisites – Tree City USA and professional urban forestry staff or consultant

Historic/Legacy Tree Ordinance

An ordinance that provides protection for individual trees of historical significance.

Prerequisite – Tree City USA

Urban Forestry Standards and Specifications Document

Standards and specifications document to guide the planting, maintenance, removal and protection of community trees.

Tree Planting and Maintenance

Tree Planting – Purchase supplies, trees and/or plant trees.

Prerequisites – Tree planting inventory, tree planting and post-planting care plan

Tree Maintenance – Tree pruning and removal.

Prerequisites – Partial or complete tree inventory, tree maintenance plan

Tree maintenance and planting tools.
Tree planting site preparation – Removal of poor soil, asphalt or concrete to establish suitable growing conditions for the species of tree to be planted.

Special Projects

Creative or broad impact project ideas that serve a regional or statewide area. We are interested in hearing about your project ideas. Please complete an application. RFAs are offered in January each year and are awarded based on merit, alignment with NCFS U&CF priorities and funding availability.