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Green Infrastructure Center, Inc.

GIC maps natural assets to create green infrastructure plans and green prints.

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News

GIC Workshop: Managing Urban Forests for Disaster Resiliency

June 2, 2025 by Lauren

Come join GIC for a Storm Planning workshop in Hampton, VA on June 10th!

Register Here!

This workshop will build awareness of the processes, contracts and coordination needed to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters affecting our urban forests. Trees are a major component of storm debris and proper management before and after a storm can dramatically reduce the amount of debris, increase compensation for debris removals, and ensure restoration of lost tree cover. Learn about how to use tree risk assessment to prepare, creating standing contracts and planning for storm debris to respond and including trees in your emergency planning processes as well as upcycling storm debris.

Intended Audience: City, town, county managers, urban planners, municipal arborists, public works staff or directors, and emergency management staff.

Workshop will provide 2.5 ISA CEUs and 4.5 AICP CEUs

Filed Under: Events, News, Uncategorized

Press Release from Mississippi Forestry Commission and the Green Infrastructure Center

October 4, 2024 by Lauren

Mississippi Forestry Commission, in Partnership with the Green Infrastructure Center, Announces Those Communities Participating in the TREES MS Assistance Program 

The Mississippi Forestry Commission (MFC) and the Green Infrastructure Center, Inc. (GIC) have awarded urban forest planning and tree planting support to six Mississippi communities through the new Trees for Restoration, Ecology, Economy, and Society in Mississippi (TREES MS) Assistance Program. It will be funded from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) through the USDA Forest Service and will provide three years of comprehensive technical assistance in these communities.

Click Here for Press Release

[Read more…] about Press Release from Mississippi Forestry Commission and the Green Infrastructure Center

Filed Under: News

A Guide to Urban Forest Plans: GIC Publication

October 1, 2024 by Lauren

A Guide to Urban Forest Plans:

Learn about the benefits of planning for and managing the urban forest as well as the differences between types of urban forest plans. Check out our self-assessment tool to determine where your urban forestry program falls in a tiered system and what the next steps are for strengthening your program. Learn about the data your community should have to inform your urban forest plan, the recommended planning sequence, as well as the components of a plan and the planning process. This free guide was written for local government and advocacy groups and contains urban forest plan case studies and guidance on writing your request for bids to get the type of plan you need to manage your urban forest.
View or download the book here. Download the self-assessment tool here.

Filed Under: News

Earth Day Press Release from the Green Infrastructure Center

September 22, 2024 by Lauren

Earth Day Press Release: Green Infrastructure Center Expands to Help Reforest Cities

The Green Infrastructure Center has secured several million dollars from the Inflation Reduction Act to hire an additional 12 staff to expand urban tree cover in more than 100 cities and towns over the next three years in VA, RI, SC, GA and MS. The funds were provided to state forestry agencies who have partnered with GIC to help cities expand tree cover to reduce impacts from climate change, provide shade, absorb stormwater, clean the air and support pollinators.

Click Here for Press Release

[Read more…] about Earth Day Press Release from the Green Infrastructure Center

Filed Under: News

Press Release from Rhode Island DEM Division of Forest Environment

September 14, 2024 by Lauren

Press Release: Rhode Island DEM Division of Forest Environment Announces Comprehensive Technical Assistance Grant Program for Urban and Community Forests

GIC and Rhode Island DEM Division of Forest Management have launched the Urban Forests for Rhode Island Technical Assistance Program.

Click Here for Press Release

All eligible applicants are encouraged to apply no later than Jan. 18, 2024 by 5 PM EST. An authorized municipal staff member or member of tribal government must complete the online application. Awards will be announced on Feb. 1, 2024.

DEM and GIC are hosting an informational webinar on Wednesday, Dec. 6 from 1-2 PM. To register for the webinar, please click here. The session will be recorded and available for viewing.

Additional information can be found on DEM’s Urban and Community Forestry webpage. For more information, please contact Molly Henry at (401)-312-7857 or email her at .

Filed Under: News

Tree Planting Campaigns

June 28, 2023 by Elizabeth

Tree Planting Campaign GuideLearn how to plan for and plant trees across cities using the right data, partnerships and budgets. Features case studies from across the southern U.S. and compelling arguments for funding urban forests. This guide provides the arguments for analyzing tree canopy coverage locations, tree condition and strategies for a community-wide strategic approach to tree conservation. Even if you — the reader — are an experienced arborist or forester, you may need better or different arguments to move a city council or county board to take action for tree planting or retention. Tree care professionals may not know how to obtain citywide data on tree coverage, while data managers may not understand how to engage field staff in reviewing and applying data to on-the-ground decision making. This guide bridges those gaps so that agencies, departments, tree care groups, tree professionals and elected officials can work better together to get the right data and make more informed decisions for our urban forests.
View or download the book here.

Filed Under: News, Publications

South Carolina’s Statewide Green Infrastructure Plan

June 27, 2023 by Elizabeth

GI Plan South CarolinaSee the new priority habitat cores and corridors to support the state’s wildlife and outdoors. GIC built a statewide habitat model and maps all 10 planning regions. To stem the loss of South Carolina’s natural resources and to ensure that the landscape is resilient, the South Carolina Forest Commission and GIC launched a statewide strategic planning effort to map key, large habitat areas known as core habitats and to identify and plan for their connectivity. The more connected the landscape is, the more resilient it is to disturbance, since areas damaged by storms or floods can repopulate more quickly if species can reach these areas through natural landscape corridors. The statewide planning work has Project BackgroundThe GIC created a statewide map of large forest and wetland habitats in 2015, as well as a guide Evaluating and Conserving Green Infrastructure Across the Landscape: A Practitioner’s Guide1, which describes the importance of habitat cores and how to plan for their conservation. This report does not replace that guide. Those who wish to learn more about GI planning can obtain the free guide at the link below. This project is an update to the original map and a strategic plan for actions and strategies that South Carolina can employ to conserve its highest value landscapes for both wildlife and people. Since 2015, the landscape of South Carolina has changed as intact forested land cover has declined. In addition, more species are now at risk. For example, the U.S. Forest Service listed the Northern Long Eared bat as an endangered species in November 2022. This bat has mostly disappeared from the upstate but has been found in Charleston and Berkeley Counties, both of which are experiencing tremendous growth pressures, putting the bats at greater risk. To prioritize the landscapes to conserve for the future, GIC has created an updated resulted in this green infrastructure strategic plan, which provides new tools and planning strategies for use by state agencies and regional and local governments and conservation organizations to maximize landscape conservation and connectivity.
You can view or download the South Carolina Green Infrastructure Plan Report here.

Filed Under: News, Publications

Prepare and Recover the Urban Forests from Storms

June 26, 2023 by Elizabeth

Tree Risk AssessmentSee our three new guides on Tree Risk Assessment, Standing Contracts and Debris Management to meet FEMA requirements and ensure communities are ready for the next storm. A Community Forest Storm Mitigation Plan can be made part of the community’s existing emergency plan or can be a standalone plan. Such a plan should focus specifically on ways to avoid or mitigate the damage trees may cause during a storm or other catastrophic event.

Tree Risk Assessment: Get ready for storms by first identifying and treating risky trees and limbs to reduce storm damages and tree failure later.

Standing Contracts: Prepare advance or standing contracts to ensure you have the most qualified professionals to help you during a disaster and ensure faster cleanup

Debris Management Sites: Be ready to manage the significant debris from a storm so that roads and emergency services can be cleared and ready to function faster.

Learn more here.

Filed Under: News, Publications

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The Latest From GIC…

GIC Workshop: Managing Urban Forests for Disaster Resiliency

Press Release from Mississippi Forestry Commission and the Green Infrastructure Center

A Guide to Urban Forest Plans: GIC Publication

Earth Day Press Release from the Green Infrastructure Center

Press Release from Rhode Island DEM Division of Forest Environment

See our Resources section where you will find our Reports, Books and Guides.

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We are a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable educational and scientific institution and all donations are tax deductible.

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414 East Water Street,
Charlottesville, VA 22902

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GIC is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable educational and scientific institution and all donations are tax deductible.