The information contained in this file was taken from a booklet entitled ACTION GUIDE published by GLOBAL RELEAF, a program of: The American Forestry Association. P.O. Box 2000 Washington, DC 20013 (For more general information about GLOBAL RELEAF, see the GARDEN1 file in the Stepping Lightly Files section.) SIX GOALS FOR GLOBAL RELEAF 1. URBAN FORESTS PROBLEM: In the average American city, for every new tree planted, four trees die or are removed. GOALS: Plant twice as many trees as are removed each year for the next ten years. Urge Americans to plant 100 million new trees on private lands in cities and towns before the end of 1992. Support a new national program of incentive grants to provide matching money for community reforestation efforts. Extend the average lifespan of existing city trees from 32 years to 40 years through improved community tree care programs. BENEFITS: Trees can make a great difference in the quality of urban life. Cities have become "heat islands" as a result of atmosphere heat being held by dark surfaces and concrete. 2. RURAL FORESTS PROBLEM: Unmanaged and mismanaged woodlands fail to fulfill their potential for recycling carbon dioxide and often fall prey to pollution and other stresses. In the southern states alone, there are more than 20 million acres where conversion of eroding crop and pasture land to forest would be feasible. There are similar opportunities throughout the United States. GOALS: Each state should have a program for reforestation of any land where timber harvests are conducted, unless other land use changes are involved. The Farm Bill should provide incentives for reforesting an additional 20 million acres of marginal crop and pasture lands through extension and expansion of the Conservation Reserve Program. The Bill should also contain incentives for landowners to establish wind breaks, shelterbelts, and stream corridor forests. United States Department of Agriculture programs that provide education, technical and financial assistance to nonindustrial private forest owners should double their total effort. United States Department of Agriculture programs should identify and publicize the extent and value of the economic opportunities to improve forests in all ownerships and regions. Public forest management budgets and programs should be designed to improve the health and growth of forests available on all public lands. BENEFITS: The net result could be a doubling of the acreage of U.S. forests that are well-stocked and growing vigorously by the turn of the century. The total impact on environmental quality would be immense. The U.S. Forest Service estimates that we could profitably grow an additional 16 billion cubic feet of wood on existing forests annually. Growing that wood would tie up an additional half billion tons of carbon dioxide each year. 3.TROPICAL FORESTS PROBLEM: Tropical forests are being cleared at an estimated rate of 27 million acres each year. An estimated 13 million additional acres are affected annually by logging or wood gathering. Those figures translate to a loss of 500,000 trees per hour-every hour, every day. Local, regional, and world climates are affected, thousands of species of plants and animals face extinction, and indigenous peoples and economies are destroyed. It is an international disaster that effects all of us, everywhere. GOALS: Halt all u.s. funding of "development: projects that result in tropical deforestation by 1990. By the century's end, international programs should be adjusted to help tropical countries deal with their economic development challenges while halting the net loss of tropical forestlands. Educate Americans on the important role tropical forests play in their lives and on the importance of adjusting our consumption patterns to minimize damage to tropical forest resources. Accelerate research to discover ways of managing and using tropical forests on a sustainable basis. Tropical forests are one major "engine" for keeping the global carbon cycle in balance, so improvements there will improve the world environment. 4. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH PROBLEMS: There are many questions unanswered about the probable impacts of global warming on forests, on management strategies to adapt to global warming, and on forestry opportunities to mitigate changes in climate. GOALS: Improve climate research and ability to predict management options that will exist in the event that our climate changes. Strengthen U.S. Forest Service and university research programs. Climate and atmospheric research programs should triple their 1987 levels, to a total of 75 scientist-years of effort annually. BENEFITS: Research programs offer the best hope for developing realistic solutions for coping with global warming and its causes. Research can also guide public policy and private land management decisions. 5. AIR POLLUTION PROBLEMS: Air pollution is damaging forest ecosystems. If the global warming phenomenon continues, forests stressed by drought will be more susceptible to air pollution damage. The health of America's forests must be improved in the face of increasing heat and drought. GOALS: Congress should enact Clean Air Act amendments that require a reduction of 10 million tons per year in sulfur dioxide emissions, plus significant reductions in nitrous oxides and other pollutants, with appropriate cost-sharing and phase-in arrangements. BENEFITS: Reduced environmental stresses on forests will permit them to contribute more efficiently to balancing the global climate. 6. WATER QUANTITY AND QUALITY PROBLEMS: Climate changes that raise atmospheric temperatures and reduce precipitation threaten to bring new water shortages to many regions. GOALS: States should implement Best Management Practices on all forest and farm lands as a means of minimizing water pollution from non- point source. Aquifer recharge areas on the National Forest System and other public lands should be identified and managed to protect their recharge capacities. BENEFITS: Well-managed forests will control watershed yields, prevent water pollution and enhance groundwater recharge areas. Improved water quality also enhances recreational opportunities. THE GLOBAL RELEAF ACTION CHECKLIST LOCAL ACTIONS: 1. Plant a tree. This is the simplest step you can take to improve the environment. The best tree to plant will be at least three years old and in a one gallon or larger container. 2. Maintain healthy trees. 3. If you have a woodlot - small or large - work to improve its health and productivity by carrying out a good forest management plan. 4. Survey existing parks and forests. Determining the condition of existing trees will help you identify opportunities to revitalize ailing specimens, as well as locate new spots for fresh plantings. 5. Encourage your community to participate in Global ReLeaf. 6. Teach students about Global ReLeaf. 7. Educate local and state legislators about Global ReLeaf. 8. Work with local organizations and businesses to promote planting, maintenance and proper management of trees and forests. 9. Share information about Global ReLeaf with the media. NATIONAL ACTIONS: 1. Contact you member of Congress regarding the Clean Air Act, the National Energy Policy Act, the Conservation Reserve Program provisions of the Farm Bill, and the National Urban Forest Act. 2. Contact key federal agencies for more information. The United States Department of Agriculture Washington, DC 20090 Extension Service, South Agriculture Building Washington, DC 20250 Soil Conservation Service P.O. Box 2890 Washington, DC 20013 The Environmental Protection Agency 401 M Street, S.W. Washing, DC 20460 The United States Department of the Interior C and 18th Streets, N.W. Washington, DC 20240 The National Park Service P.O. Box 37127 Washington, DC 20013 The United States Department of Energy 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, DC 20585 INTERNATIONAL ACTIONS: 1. Contact your member of Congress in support of increased U.S. funding of tropical forestry research and technical assistance to foreign counties. Support the Tropical Forestry Action Plan, and support an increase in assistance to non-governmental organizations and private efforts to aid developing countries with tropical forestry projects. 2. Contact agencies that develop and implement programs that impact tropical forests. Several international agencies could play a key role in halting the deforestation that is ravaging the tropics. Get the facts and let these agencies know your concerns. President The World Bank 1818 H Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20433 Director United Nations Environmental Programme One U.N. Plaza New York, NY 10017 United States Agency for International Development 320 21st St., N.W. Washington, DC 20523