Awards Information

Recognition of an individual or organization in organizing, motivating, and/or stimulating urban forestry activities, landscape beautification, tree plantings, tree maintenance, tree preservation, and /or public tree education programs within the community. Examples of nominees include community leaders, elected officials, exceptional volunteers, local nonprofit organizers, tree boards, beautification committees, tree advocate groups, garden clubs, youth groups, and homeowner associations.

Recognition of a residential, commercial, or public project that demonstrates tree preservation, tree planting, tree maintenance, or environmentally-sound planning or design. Nominees should come from local governments, developers, landscape architects, engineers, architects, planners, builders, arborists, and landscape contractors.

Recognition of an individual, local government, boards or committees, youth groups, or homeowner associations that have demonstrated and organized urban forestry programs or activities within their community. These activities may include providing public education, establishing quality design and implementation of maintenance practices, tree planting, and tree preservation. Unique partnerships and citizen involvement are components of instilling quality and meaningful community understanding of the urban forest. Consideration is given to the community population and those currently active in the Tree City USA program.

Outstanding Tree Ordinance

Recognition of an outstanding tree ordinance designed to regulate various aspects of tree planting, removal, and maintenance on public or private properties. Ordinances should promote the protection, preservation, and enhancement of an urban forest or community trees and the environmental, social, and economic benefits trees provide. Examples of nominees include municipalities, counties, military bases, school campuses—both public and private, and homeowner associations.

Outstanding Staff (Group or Individual)

Staff make up a vital part of any urban forestry team. Without them, urban forestry managers could not do the work that they do. This award recognizes a person or group of people who work to manage a local urban forest. Individuals need not be tree care professionals, nor hold any specific credential or degree. Nominate anyone in your urban forestry management office.

Recognition of an outstanding utility that demonstrates best practices of utility arboriculture. The utility should promote the value of vegetation management when enhancing the quality of utility service and urban and peri-urban tree canopies. It should demonstrate strong attributes in safety, quality tree care, integrated vegetation management (IVM), storm preparation and response, communications, and public education. Consideration is given to those currently active in the Tree Line USA® program.

Outstanding utility/arboriculture crew and/or leader, etc. – nominated by Utility Forester

Utility vegetation management depends on contracted crews to get the vital work completed. These crews work hard, often in harsh conditions, to keep the light on. Nominate a crew and/or crew lead who shows exemplary work in the field. Crews must follow all appropriate pruning and safety standards for consideration.

Outstanding utility forester/arborist/vegetation manager – nominated by Utility Forester

In addition to contracted crews, Utilities also frequently use contracted foresters/arborists for crew oversight, prescription creation, ground truthing, customer contact, and more. Nominate someone who is exemplary in their job. What that looks like can vary based on the specific job. When nominating, explain what the standard job duties for this individual are and how they excel. Showcase what makes them deserving of this award.

Education is the cornerstone of Urban Forestry. We educate the arboriculture professionals, municipalities, and the public. The item(s) submitted that have reached the most people, with the most impact, win the outstanding educational effort.

Submitted material must have been used in the last calendar year, but can include past years. Items that have previously won cannot be resubmitted. All items must include the educational content, number of people reached/attended, and any other information on impacts. Any idea previously awarded cannot be reentered in subsequent years.

Items produced by FUFC or ISA are not eligible for these awards.

Sub-Categories:

Podcast – Can include live or recorded content. Submission must include a link to the content and information regarding distribution. Individual recordings or a series are eligible. Include information about how this podcast came to be and what area of the industry it benefits.

Social media content – Social media is a great way to connect and educate the public. For this award, you must submit between 5 and 10 static posts from the last calendar year. Include information regarding post reach, page followers, page title, and link. Do not submit videos in this category

Educational video/series – This category looks at entertaining educational content in the form of videos or a series. Videos can be from social media, YouTube, or any other relevant video outlet. Videos must cover relevant information related to urban forestry. Recorded PowerPoint presentations will not be considered. If you have questions about your video, reach out to the awards team.

Newsletters, Articles, Blogs – This class includes newsletters (including digital/electronic newsletters or blogs) that are distributed to a targeted list of people on a planned schedule at least two times per year, or a series of articles published in a newspaper, magazine, or newsletter. Submit 3-4 different newsletters or articles from the series. Submit the publication in PDF format, or a link to the publication, article, or newsletter. Include a description of the publication name, type, and frequency.

In-person educational class/series – Many organizations offer educational classes to urban forestry professionals. These can be a single, one-off class, a full day, or a multiple-day series. The class(es) can be in person or online. Provide PDFs of class materials, the number of participants, and outcomes from the class (number of participants that plan to make a change, number that made a change, or any other program outcome).

Educational book or manual – Must have been made available to the public in the last calendar year. Submit a PDF of the entire book or manual for review. Include a write-up about the target audience, and distribution (number of books sold – if applicable, number of downloads, number of organizations using the material, etc.).

(Awarded as applicable, not necessarily every year)

Recognizes a sponsor/champion/supporter whose contributions have transformed possibilities into achievements. This award honors a partner who invests not only resources but also vision, innovation, and enthusiasm—driving measurable impact and inspiring others to join the cause.

Recognition of an individual for their career-long distinguished service and dedication to the advancement of Urban Forestry.