People all across the U.S. participated in the official U.S. Celebration of IYOF and raised awareness of the value of trees and forests. After kicking off the campaign in the nation’s capital, there were several state proclamations, nationwide events like National Walk in the Woods Day, and more.
Take a look at some highlights of the U.S. celebration of the International Year of Forests:
-
The yearlong celebration kicked off on February 2, 2011 by the United Nations.
-
The official U.S. celebration of IYOF, “Celebrate Forests. Celebrate Life.” launched on March 1, 2011.
-
A launch party was held in Washington, DC on March 30, 2011, with entertainment from tree farmer and Rolling Stones keyboardist Chuck Leavell. The U.S. Forest Service, the National Association of State Foresters and the American Forest Foundation hosted the event. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced a new strategy to promote the use of wood as a green building material at the event, which was attended by members of Congress and the forest and conservation community. Several local media including The Washington Examiner covered the launch.
-
115 events were held in 34 states and 1 territory throughout 2011.
-
Two states and one town made official IYOF proclamations: Governor Bob McDonnell recognized the Year of Forests in Virginia with a state proclamation in March; Mayor Cindy Lerner designated April 10, 2011 "Celebrate Forests Day" in Pinecrest, Florida; in October, Governor Cuomo proclaimed 2011 the New York Year of Forests.
-
National Walk in the Woods Day on May 21, 2011 encouraged everyone to enjoy trees and forests by taking a walk in nearby woodland, city or state park, or a national forest.
-
Students from Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Montana, New Hampshire, and New Mexico shared their state’s forest heritage with Forest Exchange Boxes on display at the US Mission to the United Nations in New York City. More of Project Learning Tree’s Forest Exchange Boxes can be seen in our Photo Album.
-
MSNBC covers the campaign for Earth Day in April, “Head for the Woods During the International Year of Forests.”
-
The Today Show covers the campaign for Earth Day; “Spring’s a Fine Time for a Trip to the Forest.”
-
The National Association of State Foresters launched ForestActionPlans.org on June 14, 2011 to provide a never-before-seen snapshot of the current state of America's forests, access to every state's plan, and national-and regional-level insight into the primary trends and challenges facing America's forests.
-
In July, an IYOF Photography Fellowship was awarded to Josh Birnbaum who documented forests in 6 states: West Virginia, Texas, Missouri, South Dakota, Montana and Maryland. His work is featured in the “Celebrate Forests. Celebrate Life” Photo Blog.
-
Disney's Animal Kingdom celebrated the 2011 International Year of Forests with a special festival on July 27, 2011. Disney also covered the campaign in its Disney Parks Blog.
-
Josh Birnbaum's photography fellowship blog was covered in Grist in August.
-
Columbia Daily Tribune covers the IYOF Photography Fellowship in its “Photographer Documents Relationship Between People and Trees for U.N.'s IYOF” article.
-
In October, four Chesapeake Forest Champions were honored for their work with trees & forests by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay.
-
In August, UNEP and UN Ambassador Don Cheadle partnered with the “Celebrate Forests. Celebrate Life.” campaign to create a PSA, “Supporting Forests by Don Cheadle.”
-
Two of Birnbaum's photos of a Montana wildfire were featured as NASA’s Earth Science Picture of the Day on September 14, 2011.
-
The New York Department of Environmental Conservation held a photo contest to celebrate forests, and announced the winners in six categories.
-
The Photography Fellowship concluded in October after 35,000 - 50,000 photographs and six states with an exhibit in Athens, Ohio.
-
Photography fellow Josh Birnbaum wrote about his Celebrate Forests experience in the Huffington Post.
-
The “Celebrate Forests. Celebrate Life.” campaign was covered in Advertising Age magazine.
-
Jay Farrell, Executive Director of the National Association of State Foresters (NASF), wrote an op-ed that was featured in multiple newspapers.
