FACACLASSIC

Note: An Annual Comprehensive Review, as required by §7 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, is conducted each year on committee data entered for the previous fiscal year (referred to as the reporting year). The data for the reporting year is not considered verified until this review is complete and the data is moved to history for an agency/department. See the Data From Previous Years section at the bottom of this page for the committee’s historical, verified data.

Details on agency responses to committee recommendations can be found under the Performance Measures section for each committee in the fields “Agency Feedback” and “Agency Feedback Comment.”

USDA - 1306 - National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council - Statutory (Congress Created)

GENERAL INFORMATION

Committee Name	National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council	Agency Name	Department of Agriculture
Fiscal Year	2025	Committee Number	1306
Original Establishment Date	11/28/1990	Committee Status	Chartered
Actual Termination Date		Committee URL	https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/urban-for...
Actual Merged Date		Presidential Appointments*	No
New Committee This FY	No	Max Number of Members*	15
Terminated This FY	No	Designated Fed Officer Position Title*	National Urban Forestry Program Manager
Merged This FY		Designated Federal Officer Prefix	Mrs.
Current Charter Date	10/31/2024	Designated Federal Officer First Name*	Nancy
Date Of Renewal Charter	10/31/2026	Designated Federal Officer Middle Name
Projected Termination Date		Designated Federal Officer Last Name*	Stremple
Exempt From Renewal*	No	Designated Federal Officer Suffix
Specific Termination Authority		Designated Federal Officer Phone*	(202) 205-7829
Establishment Authority*	Statutory (Congress Created)	Designated Federal Officer Fax*	(202) 209-9873
Specific Establishment Authority*	16 U.S.C. 2105, AMEND.	Designated Federal Officer Email*	nancy.stremple@usda.gov
Effective Date Of Authority*	10/28/1990
Exempt From EO 13875 Discretionary Cmte	Not Applicable
Committee Type*	Continuing
Presidential*	No
Committee Function*	Non Scientific Program Advisory Board

RECOMMENDATION/JUSTIFICATIONS

Agency Recommendation*	Continue
Legislation to Terminate Required	Not Applicable
Legislation Status	Enacted
How does cmte accomplish its purpose?*	The Council’s Charter is current. The renewal date is October 31, 2026. Forest Service Charter renewals and nomination packages are currently on hold until further notice. Members are permitted to serve due to a statutory continuation clause in their legislation allowing them to serve until the Secretary reappoints them or replaces them with a new member. The Council meets 2-3 times a year to discuss urban and community forestry issues and opportunities, listen to public concerns and opportunities related to urban and community forestry. The Council's meetings focus on their legislatively mandated duties: to develop consecutive National Ten Year Urban and Community Forestry Action plans (Action Plan) that they develop in conjunction with the public’s input, develop grant categories based on the Action Plan’s goals for the Forest Service's National Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Cost-Share Program (CCS) grant program. This includes recommending proposals to the Forest Service to consider in making their grant award decision; and developing the Annual Accomplishment/Recommendation Report on the implementation of the Action Plan for the Secretary of Agriculture. Meetings include considerable listening and discussion with the public on emerging issues/opportunities in urban and community forestry. Council members attend the National Partners in Community Forestry Conference and during this time may hold a public meeting and/or use that time to meet with the groups they represent on the Council, other Federal Agencies, and entities working in community and urban forestry. The Council incorporates the public's feedback into their work plan and validates them in the accomplishment/recommendation report and grant categories. The Council has a home page on the Forest Service website http://www.fs.fed.us/ucf/nucfac.shtml The site contains background information, grant announcements about the Council as well as their accomplishment reports and recommendations.
How is membership balanced?*	The Council is made up of 15 members whose positions are described very specifically in the enabling legislation, membership consists of qualified candidates representing: State government; County government; City/Town government; forest products, nursery, or related industries; urban forestry, landscape, and design consultants; State forestry agencies or equivalent State agencies; professional renewable natural resource or arboricultural society; Extension Service; USDA Forest Service; a non-officer or employee of any governmental body representing a population of less than 50,000 as of the most recent census who has expertise and has been active in urban and community forestry; non-officer or employee of any government body representing a population of more than 50,000 as of the most recent census who has expertise and has been active in urban and community forestry; two members representing national non-profit forestry and conservation citizen organizations; and two members from academic institutions with an expertise in urban and community forestry activities. The Council positions are also balanced geographically and demographically to reflect comprehensive viewpoints from around the country and the country's diverse populations. National Census data is used to demographically balance the Council. Member positions are staggered. A Nomination package will identify weak demographic representation on the Council and utilize its outreach pool of candidates, reference its outreach plan the recommendations in the Civil Rights Impact Analysis CRIA recommendations for additional outreach as applicable.
How frequent & relevant are cmte mtgs?*	The Council meets about three times annually with at least one meeting held face to face. Council met in FY 2025 virtually 5/2025 and in-person and virtually 9/8/2025. In general, the Council strategically plans future meetings with other related urban forestry stakeholders and the public to address items in the Action Plan and emerging urban forestry issues and opportunities. The Council reduces its meeting costs by: reducing the face to face meetings, reducing the meeting days from three to one and one half days; and using Federal meeting space or meeting space at reduced costs. The Council continues to steward accomplishments identified in the public's Action Plan, and continues to implement their Strategic Plan. Any Council recommendations are addressed by the Forest Service.
Why advice can't be obtained elsewhere?*	The National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council (Council) has diverse representation of experts and demographics across the country and its territories that come together in one space to advise about urban and community forests, urban natural resources, and green infrastructure. This collective knowledge provides nature-based solutions for economic, environmental, and health and well-being for all communities. The Council continues to provide input that focuses and coordinates current and future efforts with the Forest Service's National Urban and Community Forestry Program, USDA, and applicable Federal agencies. This builds community sustainability and resiliency through proper management of this critical green infrastructure.
Why close or partially close meetings?	All meetings are open to the public, unless closed to discuss grant proposal proprietary information or onboarding new members for administrative information and Ethics training .
Recommendation Remarks

PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Outcome Improvement To Health Or Safety*	Yes	Action Reorganize Priorities*	Yes
Outcome Trust In Government	Yes	Action Reallocate Resources	Yes
Outcome Major Policy Changes	Yes	Action Issued New Regulations	No
Outcome Advance In Scientific Research	Yes	Action Proposed Legislation	No
Outcome Effective Grant Making	Yes	Action Approved Grants Or Other Payments	Yes
Outcome Improved Service Delivery	Yes	Action Other	Yes
Outcome Increased Customer Satisfaction	Yes	Action Comment	The Council recognizes the need to develop more green jobs to supply industry demand. The Council's past recommendations include assessing and building a green industry workforce. While this recommendation was addressed, it could go further to create a sustainable framework, especially in rural areas where capacity and community population retention are low. There are other industry examples that could be duplicated and consolidated with case studies to assist communities across the country without having to reinvent the wheel. This and community tree wood utilization were the focus for the FY25 grant program; however, program funding was too little and too late to implement the grant program. Emerging: The Council applauds Secretary Rollins announcement that “USDA will no longer fund taxpayer dollars for solar panels on productive farmland”, however the Council and partners observe another growing concern with impacts to our farm and forest lands due to new technology. Alternative energy sources and data centers require an expansion of our electrical grid to handle added power and Data Centers require a large amount of energy requiring and expansion of the energy grids and water use impacting the availability of water for farm and human consumption. More research and studies are needed in this area to balance out these potential conflicting activities.
Outcome Implement Laws/Reg Requirements	Yes	Grants Review*	Yes
Outcome Other	Yes	Number Of Grants Reviewed	0
Outcome Comment		Number Of Grants Recommended	0
Cost Savings*	$100,000 - $500,000	Dollar Value Of Grants Recommended	$0.00
Cost Savings Comment	Council members serve without compensation for their time.	Grants Review Comment	The FY25 grant program funding was released too late in the fiscal year with too little to fund the statutory national grant program. This successful grant program leverages Federal taxpayers’ dollars on an average of 3:1, building a community’s economic resilience through its natural resource stewardship. The recommended grant categories will be considered in FY 26 should funds be available.
Number Of Recommendations*	236	Access Contact Designated Fed. Officer*	Yes
Number Of Recommendations Comment	Since 1993 the Council has made over 236 program and National Forest Service Challenge Cost-Share Grant Program recommendations. Grants funded urban and community forestry projects, studies, research, and best management practices. This successful grant program leverages Federal taxpayers’ dollars on an average of 3:1, building a community’s economic resilience through its natural resource stewardship. The Council grant recommendations address the goals and objectives in the 2016-2026 National Ten Year Urban and Community Forestry Action Plan. Prior to the Council’s Charter expiring, they submitted their recommendations for the FY 2019 National Urban and Community Challenge Cost Share Grant Program. The Forest Service accepted the Council’s recommendation, and the Secretary approved the Forest Service’s decision. The committee did not meet between 2019-2023. Council recommendations are pending for FY2024, due to the Charter expiring on June 2, 2024. Once the Charter is signed they will continue developing their recommendations that may roll over to the following FY 2025.	Access Agency Website	Yes
% of Recs Fully Implemented*	100.00%	Access Committee Website	Yes
% of Recs Fully Implemented Comment	236 fully implemented.	Access GSA FACA Website	Yes
% of Recs Partially Implemented*	0.00%	Access Publications	Yes
% of Recs Partially Implemented Comment	0 partially implemented.	Access Other	Yes
Agency Feedback*	No	Access Comment	Information access, such as, Calls for Nominations, request for grant proposals, and general Council information is transferred either through the Federal Register Notices, hard copy or electronic mail-outs and/or at Grants.gov.
Agency Feedback Comment*	2025 Grant Recommendations: The FY 25 National grant program did not occur due to funding and time limitations.	Narrative Description*	NUCFAC is a congressionally designated advisory council to the Secretary of Agriculture on community and urban forestry and related issues and opportunities. NUCFAC synthesizes the full spectrum of views into a consistent vision as a foundation for practical policy. The Council works in partnership with the USDA Forests Service's Urban and Community Forestry (UCF) Program, a cooperative program of the USDA Forest Service that focuses on the stewardship of natural resources where more than 80% of Americans live from small rural communities to metropolitan areas. Working with the state forestry agencies, the UCF program provides technical, financial, research, and educational services to local government, nonprofit organizations, community groups, educational institutions, and tribal governments. In FY2024, the UCF program served more than 215,000,000 Americans in more than 7,000 communities of all sizes across the United States, about a third of which were rural communities. UCF funds are leveraged at least 2:1, often exceeding this ratio, by state forestry agencies and other partners. By synthesizing stakeholder views, the Council assists the USDA Forest Service in ensuring the UCF program is delivered efficiently, effectively and with integrity and focus on customer service (Strategic Goal 1). In addition, by stewarding the Public’s National Ten-Year Urban and Community Forestry Action Plan and recommending workforce, economic development, and applied research projects for funding through the Forest Service’s National Urban Forestry Challenge Cost Share Grant program, NUCFAC is helping to facilitate rural prosperity and economic development (Strategic Goal 4), and strengthening the stewardship of private lands through technology and research (Strategic Goal 5).

COSTS

1. Payments to Non-Federal Members*	$0.00	1. Est Paymnts to Non-Fed Membrs Nxt FY*	$0.00
2. Payments to Federal Members*	$0.00	2. Est. Payments to Fed Members Next FY*	$0.00
3. Payments to Federal Staff*	$177,370.00	3. Estimated Payments to Federal Staff*	$181,562.00
4. Payments to Consultants*	$0.00	4. Est. Payments to Consultants Next FY*	$0.00
5. Travel Reimb. For Non-Federal Membrs*	$22,000.00	5. Est Travel Reimb Non-Fed Membr nxtFY*	$25,000.00
6. Travel Reimb. For Federal Members*	$0.00	6. Est Travel Reimb For Fed Members*	$0.00
7. Travel Reimb. For Federal Staff*	$1,380.00	7. Est. Travel Reimb to Fed Staf Nxt FY*	$2,000.00
8. Travel Reimb. For Consultants*	$0.00	8. Est Travel Reimb to Consltnts Nxt FY*	$0.00
10. Other Costs		10. Est. Other Costs Next FY*	$0.00
11. Total Costs	$200,750.00	11. Est. Total Next FY*	$208,562.00
Date Cost Last Modified	9/26/2025 1:37 PM	Est. Fed Staff Support Next FY*	1.00
Federal Staff Support (FTE)*	0.95	Est Cost Remarks
Cost Remarks

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