Community Forestry Bonds Program Considered by Congress

Cascade Land Conservancy is announcing an effort to support a Community Forestry Bond program proposal, which is now under consideration in Congress.


They are urging supporters to contact our Senators to support this concept. 


It would provide funding to communities who wish to promote green jobs in their communities and support "working forests" nearby.


Casscade Land Conservancy is a "land trust" organization that promotes the Cascade Agenda and other conservation programs. They have acheived amazing success at aquisition and restoration of lands needed to preserve open space and quality of life in our region.  Shoreline is a Cascade Agenda City in partnership with Cascade Land.
Here is their vision:

OUR SHARED VISION

This collective vision for the region is grounded in the belief that a broad coalition can achieve fundamental change.  Led by Cascade Land Conservancy, nearly 100 businesses, organizations and government agencies and more than 750 community leaders and passionate citizens from King, Kittitas, Pierce and Snohomish Counties stand behind The Cascade Agenda.  Supporters range broadly from farmers, foresters and tribes to housing, arts and cultural interests.  Clearly, the ideas behind The Agenda speak powerfully to our community.

http://cascadeagenda.com/strategies/community-forest-bonds

Community Forest Bonds

Working forests provide jobs and public values for our communities, such as habitat, water quality and carbon storage. 

In the past 10 years, more than 80% of America’s industrial forests have changed hands and the trend is continuing. This unprecedented level of sales creates opportunities for large scale working forest conservation. Funding is thelimiting factor, but Community Forest Bonds offer a solution. 

A New Conservation Tool 

Community Forests Bonds are a financing tool that conserves working forests while providing jobs and respecting landowner property rights.

In short, tax-exempt revenue bonds are issued for the purchase of forests by a non-profit. These low-cost bonds are repaid by sustainably harvesting the forest.

Using this approach, millions of dollars will be made available, which could result in the conservation of 2 million acres!

 

Make Community Forest Bonds a Reality

This innovative approach requires change in the current laws. Legislation has been introduced in the 111th Congress(HR3302, S1502), and the coming weeks will be criticalfor the efforts to pass the bill.

Call Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell now to thank them for their leadership on this legislation and to urge them to work with Senate colleagues to pass the bill at the earliest opportunity.

Senate offices can be reached at 202-224-3121.

Here's what you can say:

• We're losing our working forests and we need Community Forestry Bonds to conserve these lands.
• Community Forestry Bonds is about jobs: by keeping working forests working, the bill will retain 13,500 green jobs.
• Please pass Community Forestry Bonds at the earliest opportunity.  

Please Take Action Today!

(and let us know if you do. We'd love to hear from you!)

Click here to learn more about Community Forest Bonds. 

Shoreline Cuts Three "Signature" Trees at City's Gateway

Tuesday was a sad day for tree lovers in Shoreline.

We received a call from an neighborhood leader about the  contracted tree crew in the act of cutting down three huge "significant trees" at 15th NE and NE 145th.

Two huge London Plane Trees and one large Douglas Fir were cut and  put into the chipper by "Best Tree Service". One London Plane Tree was in the center median and the other next to it adjacent to the Goodwill Store. These trees were at minimum 40 years old and had provided a beautiful entryway to an otherwise unattractive "gateway" to Shoreline.  The large Douglas Fir was also of similar age, but it had been "limbed up" and was not healthy.

A contingent of citizens gathered next to the one remaining tree scheduled to be cut on the West  side of 15th NE.  They were members of Briarcrest Neighborhood Association, SE Subarea Citizens Advisory Committee, Paramount Park Neighborhood Group, Sustainable Shoreline Education Association, and Sunrise North Condo Association. These groups met with Shoreline City staff on site and asked for explanations on why these trees had been cut without any notice to the community. The citizens also requested staff to look for other alternatives to cutting the last tree. This tree is also a large London Plane tree of the same age. All of these trees were originally planted by King County in the Forward Thrust program in the 1960's and 70's.

Citizens are very concerned about the implications of this incident.  The City had undertaken an extensive planning process in this area called the SE Subarea Plan. The CAC group members stated that tree cutting at this site was never discussed with the committee over that year and a half process. The Council has yet to approve this plan. Gateways were discussed but never tree cutting. Extensive tree planting and existing tree protection ARE part of this citizen plan.

A new "Tree Ordinance" policy is coincidentally working its way through the City process. It is expected to come before the Planning Commission later this year. Staff stated that there was an "Urban Foresty Management Plan" completed in 2003. Shoreline is NOT at this time a "TREE City USA" member. This is the basic program for urban trees run by the Arbor Day Foundation. However, several years ago a past City Council did vote to make Shoreline a part of the Cascade Land Agenda Cities Program. The Council also passed a visionary project called the "Sustainability Strategy" which calls for tree protection and increasing the city's "tree canopy".

Citizens are asking the City for a comprehensive response to this incident with "reparations" which should include the include the following:

• Report and review on policies for street tree removal and retention including community notice

• saving the remaining trees

• extensive replanting and gateway design

• retention of medians and pedestrian safety planning

• pass a comprehensive Tree Ordinance which protects and increases street trees, and includes a new "improved" urban forestry management plan to increase the urban forest canopy

Citizens who are concerned about this incident are encouraged to contact the Shoreline City Council.

PHONE
(206) 801-2213
EMAIL
council@shorelinewa.gov