The Urban Forestry Fact Sheets (also known as the Sample Urban Statewide Inventory (SUSI) Fact Sheets) are the results of a cooperative project between the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Community and Urban Forestry program and Indiana Urban Forest Council funded by a grant from the US Forest Service.
 
The Inventory portion of this project was initiated as a "report card" for the state of our urban forestry in Indiana.  The idea was to demonstrate the urban forest was in fact a benefit to our state and not a drain on tax dollars.  The Davey Resource Group performed inventories in 22 communities of varying size and location so as to accurately represent the resource, composition, and the financial benefits provided.
 
The urban forest is an overall net benefit of any municipal or state infrastructure; critical to everyone and crucial to our quality of life.  It is of equal importance to create awareness of this unique resource within our state.  The challenge is making the importance of urban forestry understandable and credible with science and research to those making important decisions about our natural resources. We can affect change that will benefit communities economically, environmentally, aesthetically and from a public health standpoint if this challenge is met.
 
Therefore, the fact sheets were developed through the hard work and dedication of a committee of statewide urban forestry specialists.  The goal was to produce a set of documents that would explain, in simple language, the benefits urban trees provide Indiana residents using the data collected from the SUSI inventory.  The results are five (5) fact sheets, in full color, with carefully selected dialogue.  All Indiana Urban Forest Council (IUFC) members in good standing can request hard copies mailed to them or they are available for download here.