Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation , Bill and Nancy Stanback, Cemala Foundation, Marion Stedman Covington Foundation, Educational Foundation of America, Foundation for the Carolinas and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community Foundation, Amy Grissom and David Cohen and Ruth Ann Grissom, Robert Wilson Challenge Fund, and others. View a complete list of supporters.

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In 1991 American Forests,the nation’s oldest nonprofit citizens’ conservation organization, measured tree cover in 440 towns and found that tree canopy covered more than 60% of the town in most established communities in the southeastern United States.  Ten years later, they re-measured 40 of those communities and found that forest cover had decreased by an average of 21% because of sprawling development patterns.

American Forests advises that towns and cities aim for an average tree cover of at least 40% -- with a minimum of 15% tree cover in central business districts, 25% in urban residential areas and 50% in suburban residential areas – because of the important environmental benefits that trees provide.View American Forests' Urban Tree Canopy Goals.

In addition to planting and maintaining trees on streets and building lots, communities can reduce air and water pollutants by conserving natural forests within city limits.  These areas can have a greater impact on air and water quality than their size might indicate because of the density of tree coverage. 

A study in Boulder, Colorado, for example, found that although its natural forests along streams represent only six percent of the city’s acreage, they provide 13% of the city’s forest canopy cover and remove 13% of the pounds of air pollutants removed each year by trees.  Trust for Public Land (TPL) found that more than 18% of all land within city boundaries of several of the largest cities in the United States – San Francisco, Washington, DC and New York – is parkland. View TPL's Excellent City Parks Report.

Several local governments in North Carolina are using urban reforestation and land conservation to help reduce air and water pollution.  The Fayetteville area is trying a variety of strategies including expanded land acquisition in watershed areas, planting additional trees, inventorying green space and investigating a “conservation subdivision option” to protect natural land as part of the development process.  The Centralina Council of Governments, which represents nine counties in the Charlotte area, encourages planning and projects to protect trees for air quality and other environmental benefits.

For all these reasons, Land for Tomorrow designated urban forests as one of nine types of “places that matter” in North Carolina.  Land for Tomorrow is recommending that the NC Parks and Recreation Trust Fund receive an $35 million per year and the NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund receive an additional $39.5 million per year so they can make additional grants to help North Carolina’s communities protect urban forests and other places that matter.

We encourage the NC General Assembly to make this possible by putting a bond referendum on the ballot in November 2006 for $200 million per year for five years for water quality protection, land conservation, historic preservation and sustainable job creation.

The time is now.  Get in touch if you or your organization is interested in joining Land for Tomorrow’s efforts.

Rotary Clubs, county commissions, town groups and membership organizations of all kinds are hosting Land for Tomorrow presentations at their various meetings. You can help by hosting or making a presentation about Land for Tomorrow, which is easy to do since a Land for Tomorrow powerpoint presentation is available online.

There are many ways to get involved. If you think of other ways, contact us!

Organizations and Local Governments who have signed on since January:

• ASU Sustainable Development Program
• Averasboro Battlefield Commission
• City of Burlington
• Friends of Bolin Creek
• Friends of West Point Park
• NC Native Plant Society
• Quality Forward
• Town of Highlands

(plus others who have yet to return copies of their resolution to us! Send your resolutions by fax at 919.403.0379 or by mail at 4705 University Drive Suite 290, Durham, NC 27707, or you can event scan them and send them as an attachment by email to mlimbert@landfortomorrow.org !).