Austin's Urban Forest Plan

I posted this on another blog that Sam and I recently began, Food Forest Retreat.  

A Facebook friend posted this on Our Food Forest Retreat page today and I felt it important to pass the info along:

Wither the urban forest? . . . The Urban Forestry Board wants to hear from the public on the future of Austin trees. The board is working closely with the City’s Urban Forester Angela Hanson and staff from many city departments to develop Austin’s first comprehensive urban forest plan for all trees and vegetation in public spaces. The plan will establish a broad-scoped, long range vision for Austin’s urban forest; provide a roadmap to implementation; provide a framework for City departments to use as a guide for managing the urban forest resource. 

Officials say the effects of continuing growth and development, combined with long term drought conditions, create a need to develop the Urban Forest Plan as part of Imagine Austin’s Green Infrastructure Priority Program. Board members and staff will be stationed at multiple locations around the city today and Tuesday to engage with the public on the topic of Austin’s urban forest. Residents can also provide input online through a discussion forum and short surveys. There will be a community workshop and open house from 3-7pm on August 13. Online surveys and information can be accessed atwww.austinurbanforestry.org

Monday July 29th, 2013

7:00 am– 10:00 am|

Northwest Austin Recreation Center
2913 Northland Dr., Austin, TX 78757

5:00‐7:00 pm

Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail, Under the Mopac Bridge

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Tuesday July 30th, 2013
3:00 pm– 7:00 pm

Ruiz Library, 1600
Grove Blvd Austin, TX 78741

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Tuesday August 13th, 2013

Community Workshop & OpenHouse
3:00 pm– 7:00 pm

Austin’s Urban Forest Plan | Austin Parks and Recreation | AustinTexas.gov - The Official...

www.austintexas.gov

Get Involved In Your Urban Forest This is your urban forest. What matters most to you?

I'm Moving to the Country to Experiment with Permaculture in Texas

I am including one of my most recent posts on our Food Forest Retreat blog  to explain one of the primary reasons why I haven't been posting so much lately:

We decided we are going to take a leap of faith and move to a lovely piece of property with friends.  We are going to begin implementing and testing a number of permaculture techniques and food forest designs.  We begin by sitting down with the owners/landlords and getting all of the details hammered out.  That hasn't happened yet; but we have great faith. So much so, that I just put my favorite fall jacket in a pile for garage sale/trade/donation and Sami is packing things in boxes as we speak.    

(Click to Enlarge)

What you see in the photo above is the property we are moving to.  It covers 6.1 acres and has 2 seasonal streams on it!  We have been struggling with selecting property for permaculture in Austin and we now have a great playground/school. With no neighbors to speak of, I can pursue my lifelong goal of being naked in the garden. We're so excited we can barely sleep. Ok.  She can barely sleep and I'm creating graphics to illustrate how excited and unable to sleep I am.  

We are working through a short list of self-nominators to take over our cozy duplex by Barton Springs. We're going to miss it very much; it's a wonderful location to connect with amazing people and their diverse communities.  

As our focus turns to moving, we may not post much for a few a few days.