Urban Forestry Summit invites public to learn more about city’s tree canopy

The nonprofit TreesCharlotte will hold its annual Urban Forestry Summit on Sept. 20, and for the first time is inviting the public to sit in on key parts of the event at UNC Charlotte Center city.

This is the fifth year of the free summit, which is focused on preserving and maintaining Charlotte’s tree canopy. Among the topics to be discussed are opportunities for the upcoming tree-planting season October through March.

The segments open to the public include the Tuesday evening keynote address with speakers David J. Nowak and Larry Selzer, discussing the benefits of an urban forest and innovations in community engagement.

Nowak works with the U.S. Forest Service, an agency administering the nation’s 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. Selzer is the president of The Conservation Fund, a nonprofit focused on conservation to achieve environmental and economic outcomes. It is limited to 300 participants.

Details or to register, visit www.treescharlotte.org/event/tree-canopy-action-summit-v/.

TreesCharlotte is a nonprofit partner with the City of Charlotte dedicated to expanding Charlotte’s urban forest with the goal of attaining 50 percent tree canopy by 2050. Achieving this goal calls for planting 500,000 trees over the coming decades.

Besides planting trees, TreesCharlotte serves as stewards of the land, protecting trees from disease and educating the public about tree care.

This story was originally published August 31, 2016 at 8:47 AM with the headline "Urban Forestry Summit invites public to learn more about city’s tree canopy."