Urban Forestry Accelerator Program

A capacity building program that engaged 16 community teams from across the US in a five month intensive program designed to accelerate the adoption of robust and sustainable urban forestry plans, policies and practices to increase carbon sequestration and mitigate urban heat (along with many other co-benefits). Leveraging leading edge approaches including the ‘blueprint’ resources from Arbor Day’s Opt-In Scale-Up program, participants engage in shared learning with support from leading experts to develop locally customized strategies for successful urban forestry. In addition to the 16 community teams, representatives from an additional 60+ communities participated in the program as “observers”.  

The program culminated in a 2 day in-person retreat held in Cleveland, Ohio where participants received additional capacity building support and finalized strategies they will be using to pursue portions of the over one billion dollars being distributed through the US Forest Service’s (USFS) Urban and Community Forestry program. The Center for Regenerative Solutions, in partnership with several allies, successfully worked with numerous cities to secure a grant from this USFS program and will be re-granting to urban forestry initiatives across the nation in 2024.

Partners:
Center for Regenerative Solutions
Arbor Day Foundation
Urban Sustainability Directors Network