A new facility housing urban forestry research will be dedicated Friday, Oct. 18, at 2:30 p.m. in the environmental horticulture department of the University of California, Davis. "Planting Partnerships" will be the theme of the event, reflecting the collaboration between the university, the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Forest Service and the community in the UC Davis-based Western Center for Urban Forest Research. The dedication will be marked by the planting of three trees adjacent to the new facility, located on Old Davis Road south of the environmental horticulture department. "The urban forest is the 'forest' we live in, including trees, plants, people and other living organisms, and like our art and architecture, it tells us about who we are," said Greg McPherson, center research project leader. "In that spirit of community we hope the public will join us to dedicate the facility and learn more about our research and the resources that are available." The center is home to the campus's environmental horticulture and urban forestry major, which prepares students for careers in urban forestry, the nursery and floriculture industry, and landscape management and turf maintenance. It is believed to be the first such major in the country. Speakers for the event will include Jim Space, director of the forest service's Pacific Southwest Research Station, UC Davis Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef, Rep. Vic Fazio and Barbara Schneeman, dean of the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Guests may tour the new 4,000-square-foot facility and visit displays and demonstrations provided by various organizations including the Sacramento Tree Foundation, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, the UC Integrated Pest Management Group, California Department of Forestry, California ReLeaf and Tree Davis.