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<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Impact",sans-serif;color:#00457A">Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:#00457A">235 Promenade Street | Providence, RI 02908 | 401.222.4700 |</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:#0070C0">
</span><a href="http://www.dem.ri.gov"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">www.dem.ri.gov</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:#0070C0">
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:#00457A">| @RhodeIslandDEM</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT:
</span></b><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Gail Mastrati: 401-255-6144<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Friday, April 24, 2020
</span><a href="mailto:Gail.Mastrati@dem.ri.gov"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Gail.Mastrati@dem.ri.gov</span></a><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">ON THIS ARBOR DAY, RHODE ISLANDERS URGED TO TAKE<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">A MOMENT TO APPRECIATE STATE’S TREE RESOURCES<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">PROVIDENCE – Today marks the 133<sup>rd</sup> anniversary of Arbor Day in Rhode Island, and the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is encouraging residents to connect with nature
and appreciate Rhode Island’s bounty of trees. <span style="color:black">Trees play an important role in cooling streets and homes, filtering air, and sequestering carbon.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">“Even though we’re observing Arbor Day close to home this year in our backyards and neighborhoods, it’s easy to see what a vital role trees play in supporting quality of life, controlling
stormwater runoff, and beautifying our communities,” said DEM Director Janet Coit. “Spring is a gorgeous time of year and whether you live in an urban area or a rural neighborhood, you don’t need to venture very far to see a beautiful flowering cherry, tulip,
or dogwood tree in full bloom. My heart goes out to all those who are confronting loss and suffering due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For me, the beauty of trees and nature offers solace and comfort in difficult times.”</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Each year, Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Friday of April to mark the importance of trees to our environment, culture, and economy. The first Arbor Day was celebrated in Nebraska
in 1872 with more than one million tree plantings. Rhode Island began celebrating the day in 1887. In addition to Arbor Day, Rhode Island is celebrating the 50<sup>th</sup> anniversary of Earth Day this week and urging Rhode Islanders to take action to confront
climate change and live more sustainably. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">“Climate change is the major environmental issue of our time, and we must press forward and do more to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote the resilience of our communities,”
said Director Coit. <span style="color:black">“Simple actions like planting a tree in the right place improves air quality and is a tangible way for residents to stand up to climate change.</span>”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:black">The state is partnering with
</span><a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.americanforests.org_about-2Dus_mission_&d=DwMF-g&c=tSLbvWYfvulPN3G_n48TUw&r=PNPCCLvWGdSuU1Tdn5Dnfma8bA9iLrs91avOnZ4uMV0&m=iyDW49DqY5hBS_Pf0cAZAMyl_HPcEbHsqOioEE67G5o&s=7lTgQWNp0AePj4UxUGGYmgDtPWiRqKDcaYuWAuBppoc&e="><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">American Forests</span> [americanforests.org]</a><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:black"> on
</span><a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.americanforests.org_wp-2Dcontent_uploads_2019_09_Rhode-2DIsland-2DUrban-2DForests-2Dfor-2DClimate-2Dand-2DHealth-2DInitiative.pdf&d=DwMF-g&c=tSLbvWYfvulPN3G_n48TUw&r=PNPCCLvWGdSuU1Tdn5Dnfma8bA9iLrs91avOnZ4uMV0&m=iyDW49DqY5hBS_Pf0cAZAMyl_HPcEbHsqOioEE67G5o&s=Zm5DUMX3wbUA3Wj3HIS_a_QBZWgBr2dRlTKo9mFRtv0&e="><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">the Urban Forests for Climate & Health Initiative</span> [americanforests.org]</a><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:black">.
As part of this effort, which stems from DEM’s work with the </span><a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.usclimatealliance.org_&d=DwMF-g&c=tSLbvWYfvulPN3G_n48TUw&r=PNPCCLvWGdSuU1Tdn5Dnfma8bA9iLrs91avOnZ4uMV0&m=iyDW49DqY5hBS_Pf0cAZAMyl_HPcEbHsqOioEE67G5o&s=2KVjjIksLpv5iwegAC2lm6mW5un22ywwPx0CJ2NjwyM&e="><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">US Climate Alliance</span> [usclimatealliance.org]</a><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:black">,
Rhode Island will be the first state to pilot a suite of innovative technical, policy, and financing tools that aim to unlock the full potential for urban forests to slow climate change and improve public health. The project’s equity-based approach will bring
trees to Rhode Islanders who need them most, such as low-income families without access to air conditioning and children and elderly populations who are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The
</span><a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.ddcf.org_&d=DwMF-g&c=tSLbvWYfvulPN3G_n48TUw&r=PNPCCLvWGdSuU1Tdn5Dnfma8bA9iLrs91avOnZ4uMV0&m=iyDW49DqY5hBS_Pf0cAZAMyl_HPcEbHsqOioEE67G5o&s=D0-cTyEs8wFtBmUnpB93aONF685cDb0tpaecWXHWL6o&e="><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Doris Duke Charitable Foundation</span> [ddcf.org]</a><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:black"> is supporting this important work and elevating Rhode Island
as a leader in urban forestry.</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:#454545"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Rhode Island’s 386,373 acres of forest protect drinking water, improve air quality, mitigate climate change, provide opportunities for outdoor recreation, promote health, harbor wildlife,
and create economic value. They provide a “sense of place” to rural communities and offer quiet solitude from a culture obsessed with screens and social media.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">“Conserving our state’s forests and the multitude of benefits that they provide, from clean water and air to wildlife habitat and recreation, is part of DEM’s core mission,” said Coit.
“While Rhode Island is known as the Ocean State, our forested areas also are integral to our identity and quality of life.”
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">DEM’s </span>
<a href="http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/forestry/"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Division of Forest Environment</span></a><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"> works across the state with property owners and rural and
urban communities on a wide range of forestry topics including forest heath, forest fire prevention, community tree planting, and private forest land management to maximize the positive benefits that forests bring to all Rhode Islanders. The Division also
manages 40,000 acres of state-owned rural forestland including the Arcadia and George Washington Management Areas, popular venues for outdoor recreation.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">“Forests perform many ecological services and are core to our efforts to preserve biodiversity and increase resiliency to climate change,” said Coit. She noted that through its work with
the US Climate Alliance, DEM is developing guidelines to assist urban communities with reforestation efforts such as community tree planting programs that enhance human health benefits and combat the effects of climate change by reducing stormwater pollution.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">A study produced by
</span><a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.ritree.org_about-2Dus&d=DwMF-g&c=tSLbvWYfvulPN3G_n48TUw&r=PNPCCLvWGdSuU1Tdn5Dnfma8bA9iLrs91avOnZ4uMV0&m=iyDW49DqY5hBS_Pf0cAZAMyl_HPcEbHsqOioEE67G5o&s=7ksR3ngpTqQgcpV52OavOKCYYynP3-yiIIAqs-FQ9cI&e="><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">the RI Tree Council</span> [ritree.org]</a><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"> and the RI Forest Conservation Advisory Committee titled
</span><a href="http://dem.ri.gov/programs/forestry/forest-value.php"><i><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">The Value of Rhode Island Forests</span></i></a><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"> outlines the benefits provided
by forestland and recommends a suite of potential strategies to encourage conservation. Funded through DEM with a grant from the US Forest Service, the report will be essential in guiding DEM as it works with stakeholders to update Rhode Island’s Forest Action
Plan and develop and implement new policies to conserve our state’s vital forestland.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">The </span>
<a href="http://dem.ri.gov/programs/forestry/forest-value.php"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">report</span></a><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"> recommends numerous strategies for promoting forest conservation in Rhode
Island, such as creating dedicated funding sources, incorporating smart growth principles into land use planning and permitting, supporting market-based incentives, and actively managing rural and urban forestland to maximize forest value.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Healthy forests are essential to public health and well-being and form an important part of the state’s natural infrastructure. From providing us with food to eat, paper for the books
we read, and materials from which we build our homes and other products, our forests have tremendous environmental, economic, and cultural benefits:
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Forests clean the
<b>AIR and WATER</b>. 80% of Rhode Islanders rely on surface reservoirs surrounded by largely forested watersheds for drinking water.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Forests remove more than 13,800 tons of hazardous air pollutants in Rhode Island every year, providing more than $30 million annually in
<b>POLLUTION REMOVAL BENEFITS</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Forests
<b>ABSORB and STORE CARBON</b> to fight climate change. Rhode Island forests absorb about 500,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year. They store an estimated 26.7 million metric tons of carbon. Forests help Rhode Island communities adapt to a changing
climate by protecting us from extreme weather.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Forests support
<b>HEALTHY PEOPLE</b>. Trees support healthy communities by countering the urban heat island effect, mitigating flooding dangers, and reducing energy bills. Access to green space has been shown to improve mental health. Rhode Island’s forests continue to be
used by indigenous people as places to gather resources used for food, medicine, and culturally-significant ceremonies. Forests provide a “sense of place” to rural Rhode Island communities.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Forests allow
<b>WILDLIFE</b> to thrive. Core forests larger than 250 acres are considered critical to support more than 450 species of greatest conservation need in Rhode Island. The RI Wildlife Action Plan identified “Conservation Opportunity Areas” including core forests
as important to people and wildlife.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Forests are an
<b>ECONOMIC ENGINE</b>. More than 500 firms in the forestry and wood products sector generated a total economic impact of $715 million and 4,800 jobs in Rhode Island in 2016. An estimated 503,000 people participating in wildlife-related recreation each year
bring $348 million to the state’s economy through fishing, hunting, and wildlife watching.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:black">More than 50 % of Rhode Island is forested, with most forest land owned by private citizens who face increased pressure to develop
it for other uses. <span style="background:white">The most common forest health threats are from development or through fragmentation of large forested parcels into smaller parcels, making sustainable forest management difficult.
</span>Rhode Island has lost nearly 2,000 acres of critically important core forestland – tracts of forested land of at least 250 acres – between 2011 and 2018.
<i>The Value of Rhode Island Forests</i> report makes clear that conserving Rhode Island’s forests is essential to preserving the values forests provide to our communities.</span><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">For more information on DEM programs and initiatives, visit
</span><a href="http://www.dem.ri.gov/"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">www.dem.ri.gov</span></a><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">. Follow us on Facebook at
</span><a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.facebook.com_RhodeIslandDEM&d=DwMF-g&c=tSLbvWYfvulPN3G_n48TUw&r=PNPCCLvWGdSuU1Tdn5Dnfma8bA9iLrs91avOnZ4uMV0&m=iyDW49DqY5hBS_Pf0cAZAMyl_HPcEbHsqOioEE67G5o&s=GNvtU91fGuQb3DOMwJ1iIzRXkSTa50wmIYShihbYA80&e=" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">www.facebook.com/RhodeIslandDEM</span> [facebook.com]</a><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"> or on Twitter (@RhodeIslandDEM) for
timely updates.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">###<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
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<p class="MsoCaption"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif;color:windowtext">School children spread mulch on a new planting in Woonsocket at a 2019 Arbor Day event.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
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