The Virginia Department of Forestry Urban and Community Forestry program supports homeowners across the Commonwealth as they establish and maintain their trees. The benefits of trees to the environment and quality of life are clear – even yard trees contribute to human health, improved water quality, energy savings, and reducing heat.
Managing trees in the yard, and in urban and suburban environments can sometimes be overwhelming. The VDOF provides professional forestry assistance to help homeowners manage their tree resources through education, advice, and connecting homeowners with appropriate resources.
- Planting trees
- Proper tree care
- Hiring a certified arborist
- Rain gardens as a stormwater management tool
Additional Resources
| Image | Title | ID | Description | Content Type | hf:tax:document-category | hf:tax:Media | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Hardwood Planting Guide | P00137 | Brochure illustrates and explains proper planting techniques for planting bare-root hardwood seedlings. Printed copies available. | Publication | View | nurseries | publication |
 | Pine Planting Guide | P00117 | Brochure illustrates and explains proper planting techniques for planting bare-root pine seedlings. Printed copies available. | Publication | View | nurseries | publication |
 | Planting Instructions for Your Loblolly Pine Seedling Plug – Tips for Success | FT0030 | Forestry topic information sheet provides instructions for proper planting of a loblolly pine seedling plug. | Publication | View | nurseries | publication |
 | Rain Gardens | P00124 | Brochure educates landowners on options available to resolve issues with excess drainage from roofs, gutters, sidewalks, and roads, eliminating soil erosion, improving the quality of water, and how to put nature to work for you. Printed copies available. | Publication | View | urban-and-community-forestry water-quality | publication |
 | Rain Gardens Technical Guide | P00127 | Technical guide provides detailed instruction for homeowners, teachers, community leaders, gardeners and landscape architects on the planning and development of rain gardens to create a landscape feature that will solve drainage problems, address erosion problems, improve water quality, create wildlife habitat and create a garden focal point. Printed copies available. | Publication | View | urban-and-community-forestry water-quality | publication |
 | Seedling Price Guide | P00139 | Brochure provides a simple listing of seedling species available for sale at our state Nurseries and current pricing. For more detailed species information, see our Web Store. Customers can order on-line at our Web Store or by mail with the included order form. Printed copies available. | Publication | View | nurseries | publication |
 | Tree Owner’s Manual for the Northeastern and Midwestern United States | NA-FR-04-07 | Manual provides guidance about proper tree care from planting a tree to maintenance and care through the life of the tree. | Publication | View | urban-and-community-forestry | publication |
Contact Us
For more information or questions, e-mail us or use our contact form.