Issue: Forest Health: Urban Forest / Wildland -

Urban Interface

Work Group Names: Gene Bobo, Eric Taylor, B. Higginbotham, Whitney, McFarland, Kelm

Region: EAST        Primary base program it addresses - ANR                  

Section 1. Relevance

Where did this issue surface?

County Committees                                                   

Commodity / Industry / Special Interest Groups        

What is the issue/problem?

Texas is one of the largest urbanizing states in the country. Most of the urbanization is taking place East of I-35. However, communities are not maintaining adequate green spaces for healthy urban forest. This inversely affects air quality / air temperature and human health.

Problem size and scope? (How many people does it affect? How wide spread?)

15 million people living in urban / suburban areas

Problem severity? (How serious is this issue?)              High

Description:    Human health, well-being, air quality is directly linked to urban forest quality, quantity.                                                                   

Target Audience? (Who does the problem impact and how many?)

Urban communities.                                                                                                                                                                        

Section 2. Response

State the goal of the program.

Communities maintain larger urban forests and manage them properly / actively.

State the outcome objectives.

Program Design. In the space below, provide an explanation of the program design. Try to list the topics that could be addressed under this issue. For example, if this was an educational program for new ranch landowners, topics could include: pond management, introduction to beef cattle production, introduction to wildlife management, and general landscaping. How would you deliver the subject matter to address this issue? There are many strategies to deliver information. It could be a newsletter series, a workshop, and a meeting once a week for six weeks to name a few. It could also be a combination of all of these. Also, try and list resources that could be used to help develop or provide existing curriculum to address the issue.

Section 3. Results

The last section deals with evaluation of this program. The evaluation content should mirror the objectives that are outlined in section two. Please try and list some specific questions that should be asked to the target audience to determine if the intended change took place. List as many potential questions as possible. The goal here is to create a question bank for each client change level so that the educator can review these questions to see if any of them are relevant to their program. If they are, then they can use them to measure change in their program. Remember, not all evaluation strategies have to be written questionnaires. They may also be interviews, direct observation, or focus groups. Please describe your method in this section where appropriate. 

Economic Indicators. Are there economic indicators that can be measured concerning this issue?

           YES               

Please list them below.

- Increased water availability

- Reduced pollution

- Improved health

Interpretation. The last step in the process is interpreting the results to our stakeholders. List internal and external stakeholders that would be interested in the results of this educational program. Do not forget to think about other state agencies and groups that would be interested in these outcomes.

Additional Resources. What additional resources are needed to address this issue? In other words, what is needed to design innovative programs that will impact our audiences? Use the space below or the back if needed.

- Program Specialist in Forest Health - Urban Forest that understands how urban people want to learn

- Information Technologist

- Funds for Material Development