This information and scripts for emails and phone calls are available here: https://plantnebraska.org/how-to-help/advocacy.html

The President’s proposed Fiscal Year 2026 “Skinny Budget” threatens to eliminate the U.S. Forest Service’s State, Private, and Tribal Forestry (SPTF) programs—a move that would have devastating consequences for communities, volunteer fire departments, landowners, and forests across Nebraska.

These programs directly support wildfire prevention, volunteer fire departments, reforestation, community forestry, forest health, and rural economic resilience. Their elimination would leave Nebraska communities without the resources, tools, and partnerships needed to protect lives, property, and the environment.

These programs provide funding for various community forestry activities, including:

• NFS technical assistance to help communities make informed decisions, such as tree inventories, inventory software access, evaluation of at-risk trees, arborist training, municipal staff training, tree board assistance, ordinance drafting, forest management support, and much more.
• Support for programs like Tree City USA, Tree Care workshops, and events.
• Arborist support includes low-cost or free CEU trainings and arborist prep.
• Forest health diagnostics and monitoring.
• Pass-through funding for initiatives like the Free Tree for Fall Tree Planting program and the IRA.

In addition, federal funding provides:

• Equipment and training for volunteer fire districts
• Wildfire mitigation funding
• Forest management activities.

You can take immediate action to help preserve these essential programs by:

1. Contact Nebraska's Congressional Delegation

Reach out to your Representative and U.S. Senators by phone, email, or letter and urge them to protect funding for SPTF programs in the FY 2026 budget.

You can find contact information for Nebraska’s federal delegation here:

• Senator Deb Fischer: https://www.fischer.senate.gov/public/?p=email-deb
• Washington, D.C. office (202) 224-6551
• Senator Pete Ricketts: https://www.ricketts.senate.gov/contact/share-your-opinion/
• Washington, D.C. office (202) 224-4224

• Find your U.S. House Representative: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
• District 1: Congressman Mike Flood: https://flood.house.gov/contact
• Washington, D.C. office (202) 225-4806

• District 2: Congressman Don Bacon: https://bacon.house.gov/contact/
• Washington, D.C. office (202) 225-4155

• District 3: Congressman Adrian, Smith: https://adriansmith.house.gov/address_authentication?form=/contact
• Washington, D.C. office (202) 225-6435

2. Share Your Story

When you reach out, please be specific and personal. Share how these forestry programs have made a difference in your life, community, or work. Whether you are a fire chief, city leader, landowner, or citizen advocate, your voice and your experience are powerful.

Please consider including:

• How your community has benefited from SPTF-supported projects or funding.
• How these programs have helped prevent wildfire or improve forest health.
• What the consequences would be if this funding is lost.

We know our listeners enjoy learning about plants they should consider or try each year and we like to make those lists based on a theme. We've done pollinator habitat, we've done other wildlife, we've done shrubs, etc. This year we're going through our team (at the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum and Nebraska Forest Service) and sharing everyone's signature, or favorite plants.

Anyone who regularly designs landscapes, helps people select plants, or influences what is planted in public spaces eventually ends up with a toolbox of their favorite species. These are our tried and true, dependable problem solving plants- or just our favorites to see growing.

For more in-depth show notes visit Bloom Box: Growing Deeper at: https://plantnebraska.org/podcast

Send us your questions at growingwithbloombox@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail.

Follow us @NEBloomBox on Facebook and Instagram

Follow us @growingwithbloombox on Pinterest

Learn more about Bloom Box: https://plantnebraska.org/bloom-box

Learn more about the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum: https://plantnebraska.org

Plants are often used to screen visually, for protection from wind, and to limit sound pollution from roadways. One of the most common questions we get is how to select trees, shrubs, grasses (and even perennials) for use in a screen or ‘Living Fence’. Today we’re discussing some of our go-to plants as well as the framework for designing a living fence or creating a visual screen.

For more in-depth show notes visit Bloom Box: Growing Deeper at: https://plantnebraska.org/podcast

For early access to new episodes, photos, and other behind the scenes content, join us on Patreon. For $5/month you'll receive exclusive content or early access to podcasts and other resources while supporting our efforts to Plant Nebraska. https://www.patreon.com/NebraskaStatewideArboretum

Send us your questions at growingwithbloombox@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail.

Follow us @NebraskaStatewideArboretum on Facebook and Instagram

Learn more about Bloom Box: https://plantnebraska.org/bloom-box

Learn more about the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum: https://plantnebraska.org. For $5/month you'll receive exclusive content or early access to podcasts and other resources while supporting our efforts to Plant Nebraska. https://www.patreon.com/NebraskaStatewideArboretum

Send us your questions at growingwithbloombox@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail.

Follow us @NebraskaStatewideArboretum on Facebook and Instagram

Learn more about Bloom Box: https://plantnebraska.org/bloom-box

Learn more about the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum: https://plantnebraska.org