Virginia Department
of Forestry

Urban and community forestry is the management of all trees in a municipality.

Urban trees are an important part of the local ecosystem providing shelter, food, and other benefits to nearby creatures – including us! As populations in cities and towns continue to grow, creating and caring for green infrastructure (like trees) is increasingly important. Trees help make cities livable – providing shade, clean air, clean water, and other useful benefits for human and environmental health.

Urban and Community Forestry Program

Virginia Department of Forestry’s Urban and Community Forestry Program fosters partnerships between government agencies, businesses, academic institutions and nonprofit organizations to ensure trees in our communities receive necessary care, long into the future. We provide assistance including education, community engagement, tree selection, and grants for tree planting and local program development.

These resources and others are available for municipalities and local governments to promote a healthy tree canopy. The USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program directly supports this state program delivered in all 59 states and U.S. territories. The USDA Forest Service Southern Region Urban and Community Forestry Program supports the southern states’ urban forestry programs.